By Igba Ogbole
President Buhari Is Dead.
Above was the screamer on the front page of newspapers and other media platforms last Sunday. The death of a former President is, by all standards, big news, and no responsible media organisation will overlook it, especially in the country of the deceased.
Death is a debt every mortal must pay. We may not know the when, where and how of our passing, but that we will answer the call someday, somehow, somewhere is indisputable. Death is the culmination of the rites of passage for all born of women (and now, test tubes). It respects or exempts none. It is not impressed by one’s wealth or penury, royalty or servitude, colour or size, tribe or tongue, education or ignorance. Death is the ultimate leveller. It will come when it will come.
And so it is that Muhammadu Buhari, a man of power and means, made his exit from the world stage on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the London Clinic at the age of 82. Already, he has been laid to rest.
Who was Buhari? This question will elicit variegated reactions from different people. There are those who would dress him up in saintly or messianic, larger-than-life toga. His cult-like followers in a part of the country would see him in no less light. Yet, there are others who would argue that the myths of extraordinary qualities about him would remain just that, myths. What nobody would dispute however, is that he was a highly privileged son of Nigeria. In life, sickness and death, he had more access to exceptional privileges than any other Nigerian, privileges shouldered by the common sweat and wealth.
He served this country as Military Head of State between 1983 and 1985. He came to power then through a military coup and was ousted the same way.
His ambition to become a civilian president was well known. Several times he tried and failed. But he didn’t give up. He pursued this singular ambition with the stubbornness or doggedness of a Spartan. And in 2015, his dream came through. For 8 years, he held sway as the Chief Executive Officer of an over 200 million people strong nation.
READ ALSO
Breaking News: Former President Muhammadu Buhari is Dead
Utange Community Reaffirms Loyalty to Ortom, Rallies Behind PDP
Over 3,000 Displaced Yelwata Residents Reject Calls To Return Home
In his younger days as a military officer, He served in different choice positions of responsibility, including Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources in March 1976 under the Olusegun Obasanjo Administration. In 1977, following the creation of the NNPC, he was appointed its chairman. He was also Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, among others. As civilian president, he was also the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
In Africa, people don’t speak ill of the dead. Since the announcement of his exit, many people have been eulogising him, x-raying his impact on the country as a public figure, his personal lifestyle and his relationship with others. As varied as people’s opinions about him may be, there are areas of consensus.
He was a disciplinarian. As Head of State, he made conscious efforts to instil a life of order and discipline in the citizens. The introduction of the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, and the creation of the WAI Brigade to enforce order was a good example in this direction. He proved that more often than not, Nigerians need the koboko to do the right thing. Although many credited the success of this policy to his deputy, Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari was the boss and must take full credit for the gains and pains of his administration(s). Others argue that in the name of enforcing discipline, he broke many human rights laws with impunity, dimming the light of the gains.
He was an anti-corruption crusader. This is one of the acclaimed qualities that attracted a lot of respect and following for him. In the build-up to the 2015 presidential polls, this was the most touted credential. Many believed that if elected, he would stop the national haemorrhage caused by stupendous corruption. He is said not to have amassed wealth like other Nigerian leaders who had the opportunity to deep their hands into the common national till.
Whether the anti-corruption crusader image is justifiable is for you, the reader to decide. Under his watch as Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources, there was a scandal that US$2.8 billion got missing from the NNPC account in Midlands Bank in the US. As civilian president, he allegedly watched corruption blossom to the extent that his Central Bank Governor for instance, could steal the nation blind and own a sprawling estate of 753 duplexes right under his nose in Abuja, the seat of the presidency.
A no-nonsense soldier’s soldier. There is no doubt that he posted an impressive military service record including GOC 4th Infantry Division, 2nd Mechanised Infantry Division and 3rd Armoured Division, as well as Command-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. By the time he canvassed for votes to be president, many a voter believed that he was the answer to the nation’s seemingly intractable insecurity. It is argued that he tamed the Boko Haram Insurgency in the North East. However, other forms of insecurity bloomed under his watch. Kidnapping, ritual killings and particularly herdsmen attacks grew in intensity and ferocity. When his media aides told the innocent, helpless victims of herdsmen attacks to choose between their lives and accommodating the killers in their ancestral land, many accused him of complicity. He didn’t handle the issue with clinical, detached, military decisiveness. Victims simply gave up on the sincerity of his celebrated military and patriotic credentials.
A patriot. His love for Nigeria, many argue, is unequalled. He did everything for the wellness of our dear country. Unfortunately, this patriotism did not translate to the transformation of the country he loved. Twice, God gave him the opportunity to be the CEO of the nation with unimpeded powers to do so much. Yet, the economy was barely breathing when he left. The infrastructure deficit is embarrassingly colossal. Even he had no confidence in any hospital in his country to treat him and his family.
Frugality. From what we hear, he was not given to frivolous spending. Unlike other leaders who lived large and rolled in luxury living, he preferred the ascetic lifestyle. It is said that he has only one house in Kaduna, and another in his hometown, Daura. There are also whispers of a London home. For a man who could have acquired the world if he wanted, he was indeed frugal, though he is said to have died in a foreign hospital that allegedly cost £3,000 (about N6million) per night.
Whatever the late President Muhammadu Buhari represented for you, know that he has acted his role and exited the stage. It is now left for you to pick what we can from his death, life and times. Every death is an admonition and a reminder of the debt we all owe.
Adieu, President Buhari.
