LAGOS – Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the first Nigerian president to lead Africa’s most populous country and oust incumbents through the ballot box between 2015 and 23, passed away in London on Sunday.
“President Buhari passed away today in London at 4:30pm (1530 GMT) after a long illness,” a spokesman for President Bora Tinubu said in a post in X.
After the coup in the 1980s, 82-year-old Buhari, who first led the country as a military ruler, gained devoted supporters for the brand of anti-corruption conviction politics.
He called himself a “converted Democrat” and swapped his military uniform for kaftans and prayer hats.
“I belong to everyone, not to anyone,” Buhari was a constant reserved person who told both his supporters and critics.
Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, who was deemed to be Nigeria’s most equitable election. Many wanted the retired major to crack down on the armed groups, just as he did when he was the country’s military chief.
Instead, violence was limited primarily to the northeasterly spread. The Nigerian belt was unchecked, taking control of its extended security forces as armed separatists and gangs in the northwestern region.
Much of his appeal lies in the anti-corruption spirit, which was the central board of his agenda as a military and civilian ruler. He said endemic corruption in Nigerian political culture is hindering people.
“Baba will be late.”
However, Buhari was soon disappointed after his 2015 victory.
It took him six months to name the cabinet. Meanwhile, the oil-dependent economy was plagued by crude low prices, urging people to call him “baba go throw.”
His second victory in 2019 came despite the first recession of Nigerian generations, militant attacks on oil fields and repeated hospital stays devastated his first term.
Born on December 17, 1942 in Daura, northwest of Katina, Buhari was registered with the Army at the age of 19. He eventually rose to the rank of Major General.
He promised to take power as a military ruler in 1983 and revitalize an inappropriate country. Buhari took a strict line on everything from the conditions the International Monetary Fund wanted to make to the irrationality of bus queues.
In 1984, his administration tried to lure former ministers and voice critics living in England. The plot failed when London airport officials opened a wooden frame containing adducted politicians.
His first power stint was short-lived. He was taken away just 18 months later by another military officer, Ibrahim Babangida.
Buhari spent much of the next 30 years in the Fringe party, trying to run for president until he finally won Jonathan in 2015.
