Life and Times of Former Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari wey die for di age of 82

BBC News

13-07-2025

Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari, wey die at di age 82 na one former military ruler and self-styled converted democrat wey return to power through elections but struggle to convince Nigerians say e fit deliver on di change e promise.
E no be natural politician, pipo see am as pesin wey dey difficult and pesin wey no send anybody.
But e get reputation for personal honesty – one rare character of a politician for Nigeria.
Afta three failed attempts, Buhari bin achieve ogbonge historic victory for 2015, as e become di kontri first opposition candidate to defeat incumbent. For 2019, e dey re-elected for anoda four-year term.
Buhari bin always dey popular among di poor pipo wey dey north (wey dey known as di "talakawa" for Hausa language) but for di 2015 campaign, e bin get di advantage of one united opposition wey tanda strong for im side.
Many of those wey support am bin reason say im military background and disciplinarian credentials na wetin di kontri need to handle di Islamist insurgency for di north. Buhari also bin promise to tackle corruption and nepotism for govment and create employment opportunities for young Nigerians.
But im time for office bin happun di same time wen di prices of oil fall globally, and di time wen di kontri bin experience di worst economic crisis in decades.
Im administration bin also come under fire sake of di way e take handle insecurity. While campaigning, e bin promise to defeat di Islamist militant group Boko Haram. But di group continue to be threat and one of dia factions now dey affiliated to di so-called Islamic State group.
Di deadly clashes between farmers and ethnic Fulani herders for central Nigeria bin also rise well-well during im administration. Pipo accuse Oga Buhari, wey be Fulani, say e no dey tough enough on di herders and e no do enough to stop di crisis.
Di activities of so-called bandits for di north-western part of di kontri bin see di abduction of hundreds of secondary school students.
Under im watch, armed forces chop of human rights abuses - like opening fire on anti-police brutality protesters for di Lekki tollgate for Lagos for October 2020.
Who be Muhammadu Buhari?
Dem born Muhammadu Buhari for December 1942 for Daura for Katsina state for di far north of Nigeria, near di border wit Niger.
At di time, na British dey control Nigeria, and e go be anoda 18 years bifor di kontri gain independence.
Buhari father, wey die wen e be four, na Fulani, while im mother, wey raise am na Kanuri.
For one 2012 interview, Buhari bin tok say im be im papa 23rd child and im mother 13th. E say im only recollection of im father na wen two of dem plus one of im half-brothers bin fall from di back of a horse.
Di young Buhari attend primary school for Daura and then boarding school for di city of Katsina.
Afta e comot school, dem admit am to di Nigerian Military Training College, e join di Nigerian army shortly afta independence.
Buhari do officer training for UK from 1962-1963 and then begin im steady climb up di ranks.
In later years, Buhari bin attribute im disciplinarian to di years wey e spend for boarding school, wia corporal punishment na normal tin, and for di military. E dey "lucky" to experience dat kain tough environments, wey teach am to work hard, e tok.
For 1966, one military coup and then counter-coup happun for Nigeria - na time of confusion for army officers but Buhari bin always maintain say im be junior and no fit play any significant role for di coup.
Less dan 10 years later, under one military government, Buhari don rise to become military govnor of di north-east, one area wey no pass six states then.
Afta less dan one year, dem promote Buhari, now for im mid-30s again to federal commissioner for petroleum and natural resources (in effect oil minister) for 1976 under Olusegun Obasanjo for im first term as Nigerian head of state.
Indiscipline and corruption
By 1978, Buhari, then don become colonel, bin return to be military commander. Im tough stance in 1983 - wen Chadian sojas bin take ova some Nigerian islands for Lake Chad - still dey remembered for di north-east, afta e blockade di area and pursue di invaders.
Di end of 1983 bin see anoda coup, against elected President Shehu Shagari, and Buhari, wey now be major-general, become di kontri military ruler.
According to im own account, e no dey part of those wey plot di coup, but dem install am (and subsequently discarded) by those wey hold di real power and need figurehead.
Oda accounts suggest say e play more active role in removing Shagari pass wetin e dey willing to admit.
Buhari bin rule for 20 months, period pipo remember for campaign against indiscipline and corruption, as well as for human rights abuses.
Dem jail about 500 politicians, officials and businessmen as part of one campaign against waste and corruption.
Some see dis as heavy-handed repression of military rule. Odas remember am as a praiseworthy attempt to fight di endemic corruption wey dey hold back Nigeria development.
Buhari retain one rare reputation for honesty among Nigeria politicians, both military and civilian, largely bicos of dis campaign.
As part of im "war against indiscipline", e bin order Nigerians to form neat queues for bus stops, under di sharp eyes sojas wey carry cain.
Civil servants wey resume late for work bin dey publicly humiliated as sojas force dem to do frog jumps.
Some of im measures fit dey seen as merely eccentric. But odas bin dey genuinely oppressive, like one decree to restrict press freedom, under which dem jail journalists.
Buhari government also lock up Nigeria greatest musical hero, Fela Kuti – wey be thorn for di side of successive leaders – fake charges wey relate to currency exports.
Buhari attempt to re-balance di public finances by reducing imports bin lead to many job losses plus di closure of businesses.
As part of im anti-corruption measures, e also order say make dem change di currency – dem change di colour of di naira notes – and force everybody wey get di old notes to exchange dem for banks within a limited period.
Prices bin rise while living standards fall, and for August 1985, dem remove Buhari from office and imprison am for 40 months. Army chief Gen Ibrahim Babangida bin take ova.
Historic election victory
Afta dem release am and, e say, aft aim don see di consequences of di break-up of di Soviet Union, Buhari bin decide to join party politics, now convinced of di virtues of multiparty democracy and free and fair elections.
Despite dis, Buhari dey always defend di 1983 coup, e tok for 2005: "Di military come in wen e dey absolutely necessary and di pipo wey dey elected fail di kontri."
E also reject accusations say im measures against journalists plus odas bin go too far, e insist say im only dey apply di laws wey odas dey break.
Dem elect am as president for 2015, e become di first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent since di return of multiparty democracy for 1999.
As president, Buhari bin make a virtue of im "incorruptibility", as e declare im relatively modest wealth and e say e bin "reject several past opportunities" to enrich himself.
By nature, e dey tok slowly, wey sometimes dey play well for for di media and sometimes badly.
Although few pipo doubt im personal commitment to fighting corruption and plenty notable scalps dey ground. Some question weda di structures wey dey enable mismanagement bin dey really reformed.
And attempts to improve youth employment prospects, at best, na work in progress.
'Bag of rice'
On di day Buhari comot office, dem ask some Nigerians for one video wey bin go viral on social media, wetin dem go remember most about im time for office, and all respondents tok di same thing: 'Bag of rice'.
Di reason dey simple - rice na di most common food for di kontri.
A standard 50kg (110lb) bag of rice, wey fit help feed a household of between eight and 10 for about one month, cost just 7,500 naira ($5; £3) under President Goodluck Jonathan, wey Buhari defeat for 2015, but e go up to 60,000 naira few years afta.
Dis bin lead to hunger for many parts of di kontri.
Di huge increase for di price of rice na sake of say e ban di importation of rice to encourage more Nigerian farmers to grow di crop.
However, local producers no fit meet di high demand and many of im supporters bin lost dia faith in him.
Ismail Danyaro, one resident of di northern city of Kano, bin tok say im support Buhari since e first contest di presidency for 2003.
"I dey buy 50kg bag of rice under Goodluck [Jonathan] but wen Buhari cme, I find am difficult to buy even 25kg bag of rice bicos e dey so expensive," e tell BBC.
At one point, even Buhari wife bin threaten say she no go support im re-election bid.
'Baba go slow'
Nigerians love nicknames and some of di kontri leaders nicknames bin stick even long afta e comot office.
For example, Nigerians still dey call former military leader Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida "Maradona" for wetin pipo see as im tactical dribbles on issues and situations.
For Buhari, na "Baba [Father] go slow" afta e take am six months to name im first cabinet afta e enta office for 2015.
Reacting to im nickname years later, Buhari say no be im fault say e take so long to get anything done.
"Yes, we dey slow bicos di system dey slow. No be Baba dey slow but na di system, so I dey go by dis system and I hope we go make am," e tok for 2018.
Nigerian politics for 2022-2023 na still one of d most interesting for di kontri democratic history.
For di minds of many, na di first time wey a sitting president wasn't ro go dey really bothered about who go be im successor.
Openly, Buhari bin declare say im go support whoever win im party (All Progressives Congress) nomination but insiders say behind di scenes, e no wetin im dey do.
Buhari body language bin show say e dey in support of all di five candidates wey dey find di APC endorsement. Dia supporters bin dey go round wit di tok say dem get im backing.
At one point, e bin look like say Buhari oppose di candidacy of im eventual successor, Bola Tinubu.
Wetin follow na di declaration of di "naira swap policy" wey di Buhari administration announce, plus oda tins, go reduce di influence of money for di 2023 elections.
Many Nigerians believe say di policy bin dey targeted to stop Tinubu from becoming president even though na im dem choose as di APC candidate.
Di policy bin involve di confiscation of trillions of old naira notes and dia replacement wit new notes for di highest denominations.
However, plenty new notes no dey wey lead to shortages and suffering by millions, particularly di less privileged wey dey rely on cash for dia daily transactions.
Dem only suspend di policy afta one Supreme Court ruling, just days bifor di election.
Tinubu win narrowly, wit 37% of votes cast, as di opposition bin dey divided.
Any assessment of Buhari presidency must take account im declining health, wey cause am to take significant absences from work, especially during im first term.
Di former military ruler fit don reinvent himself as a democrat but commitment to transparency concerning im own health bin dey coded, as Nigerians no dey informed about di fitness of dia head of state for office.
Muhammadu Buhari marry two times, first to Safinatu Yusuf from 1971-1988, and then for 1989 to Aisha Halilu, wey survive am. E get 10 children.