By Ali Elias
Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died at the age of 82. He passed away on Sunday evening at about 4:30 p.m. in a hospital in London, following a prolonged illness, according to a statement issued by the Presidency.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced Buhari’s passing in a statement from the State House, Abuja, and has directed that flags be flown at half-staff across the country as a mark of respect for the departed leader. He also instructed Vice President Kashim Shettima to travel to the United Kingdom to accompany the former president’s body back to Nigeria.
A condolence message released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu has spoken to former First Lady Aisha Buhari, expressing his sympathies over her husband’s death.
Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to Buhari, also confirmed the news via his X (formerly Twitter) handle. Garba Shehu, another former presidential spokesman, posted that Buhari died in a London clinic, bringing an end to a chapter in Nigeria’s political history.
A Controversial Yet Symbolic Leader
Born in 1942, Muhammadu Buhari was a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army and former military head of state who returned to office in 2015 through the ballot box, after three failed attempts. He was the first opposition candidate in Nigeria’s history to unseat an incumbent president through democratic elections.
Though widely regarded as austere and reserved, Buhari built a reputation for personal integrity and anti-corruption—attributes that earned him strong support among Nigeria’s poor, particularly in the northern region, where he was affectionately called mai gaskiya (“the honest one”) and admired by the talakawa, the working poor.
His administration promised sweeping reforms, anchored on three key pillars: fighting corruption, improving security, and rebuilding the economy. Yet, his eight-year tenure was marred by a prolonged recession, soaring unemployment, and worsening insecurity.
While Buhari pledged to defeat the terrorist group Boko Haram, the group remains active, and violent extremism spread under his watch to include banditry and mass abductions across the North. Critics also accused him of being too soft on armed Fulani herders amid deadly clashes with farmers in central Nigeria.
International outcry followed the October 2020 Lekki Tollgate incident in Lagos, where Nigerian armed forces allegedly opened fire on peaceful anti-police brutality protesters—a moment that further strained his image as a democratic reformer.
Despite this, Buhari remained respected in many quarters for his perceived discipline, minimal lifestyle, and efforts to reposition Nigeria’s anti-graft institutions.
Military and Political Legacy
Before returning as a civilian leader, Buhari ruled Nigeria as a military head of state from January 1984 to August 1985, following a coup that ousted the civilian government of Shehu Shagari. His military regime was characterized by a strict anti-corruption stance and controversial policies, including the infamous “War Against Indiscipline.”
Though deposed by another military coup, Buhari’s second coming as a civilian president in 2015 marked a unique trajectory in Nigeria’s leadership history—a man once ousted by a coup, later returned by the vote of the people.
His supporters saw him as a patriot committed to national integrity, while his critics viewed him as a rigid and detached leader unable to manage the complexities of a modern, democratic Nigeria.
A Nation Mourns
As Nigerians begin to come to terms with Buhari’s passing, tributes are expected to pour in from across political, regional, and international lines. President Tinubu’s directive for national mourning signals the end of an era that shaped two significant periods in Nigeria’s post-independence journey—military and civilian. Whether celebrated for his simplicity or criticised for his shortcomings, Muhammadu Buhari leaves behind a legacy that will remain subject to debate for years to come. But one thing is clear: he was a figure who, for better or worse, helped shape the course of Nigerian history.