President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that Nigerians begged the late former head of government, Chief Ernest Shonekan to serve the country when his intervention was critically needed.
Buhari said this when he paid a condolence visit to the family of Ernest Shonekan, the late head of the defunct Interim National Government, ING, of Nigeria.
The president was earlier in Abeokuta in Ogun, for the inauguration of some projects by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The president arrived the Ikoyi residence of Mr Shonekan at 4:40 p.m., accompanied by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, and his Ogun counterpart, Dapo Abiodun.
Others were Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and Chairman, APC Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, among others.
There was heavy presence of security operatives, police, military and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in and around the premises.
Shonekan died in Lagos on Tuesday at the age of 85. He succeeded Ibrahim Babangida to become the Head of the Interim National Government, ING, from August 26, 1993, to November 17, 1993.
The ING was constituted in August 1993 by Babangida in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
Mr. Shonekan was, however, overthrown in a palace coup led by the late Sani Abacha, who was the Defence Secretary in the Shonekan-led ING.
Prior to his brief political career, Mr. Shonekan was the chairman and chief executive of the United African Company, UAC, of Nigeria.