“Buhari is gone.”
Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s former president, died quietly in London at 82.
For many Nigerians, especially those of us born after 1999, he was just “Baba Go-Slow” — the man who came in 2015 with promises to clean up corruption, and left in 2023 with a sluggish economy and mixed reviews.
But Buhari was more than that.
He was a soldier, a civil war veteran, a coup leader, a prisoner, and later… the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.
His story is also Nigeria’s story.
Before the camouflage
Born in Daura in 1942, Muhammadu Buhari joined the Nigerian Army as a teenager.
He trained in some of the best military institutions in the world:
- Nigeria Military Training College
- Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (UK)
- Defence Services Staff College, India
- U.S. Army War College
At 24, he was already in active battle during the Biafran War — leading troops in Bonny and Port Harcourt.
That war shaped a generation of soldiers.
For Buhari, it cemented a lifelong belief:
Without order, Nigeria will unravel.
1983: The boys took the country back
By the early ’80s, Nigeria’s Second Republic was crumbling — inflation, unpaid salaries, and corruption ran wild.
So on December 31, 1983, junior military officers struck, suddenly upending Shagari’s short-lived rule. They picked one man to lead the takeover: Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
You see, under Obasanjo’s military government, Buhari had served as:
- Military Governor of the old North-East State
- Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources
- Chairman of the NNPC
He had a reputation for discipline, austerity, and honesty.
So to the coup plotters, he was the perfect fit.
Buhari agreed — though some say he wasn’t left with much choice. But once in charge, he ruled like a man on a mission.
He launched the War Against Indiscipline:
- Latecomers were punished.
- Smugglers were jailed.
- Journalists were detained.
- Executions returned for drug offences.
Some admired his firmness.
Others called it a military dictatorship.
From ruler to prisoner
In 1985, Buhari’s own men got tired of his rigid rule.
Another coup. This time, Ibrahim Babangida overthrew him.
Buhari was arrested and jailed. He spent 3 years in detention — no trial.
But something strange happened while he was locked away.
Buhari became a myth.
Some saw him as the last honest man.
A leader who didn’t steal.
Who drove a Peugeot, not a convoy.
Who didn’t smile with the corrupt elite. In fact, even dealt with them.
A reputation began to form: Mai Gaskiya — “The Honest One”.
The long road to democracy
In 1999, democracy returned. And Buhari… returned too.
But this time, in agbada, not uniform.
He ran for president in 2003. Lost. Again in 2007. Lost. Again in 2011. Lost.
The South saw him as a Northern hardliner. Christians didn’t trust him. Young people saw him as outdated.
But behind the scenes, frustration with PDP was rising. Corruption was unchecked. Jonathan struggled with Boko Haram. Oil money was vanishing.
So in 2015, a grand coalition formed — the APC — and Buhari was its face.
And for the first time in Nigeria’s history, an incumbent president conceded defeat.
That moment alone sealed his place in the country’s democratic journey.
Security was priority #1
Buhari came to power with one loud promise:
I will secure this country.
And sure enough, the old commander put his cap back on.
Within his first year, the Nigerian military — under his command — pushed Boko Haram out of major territories in the North East.
Maiduguri no longer feared being overrun.
Thousands of kidnapped civilians were rescued.
Markets reopened.
Military morale was restored.
It wasn’t perfect — insurgency evolved, and banditry rose in the North West — but no one can deny:
Buhari and his service chiefs reclaimed ground Nigeria had lost.
The weight of silence
Yet while gains were made in security, the economy struggled.
The Naira fell.
Oil prices crashed.
Youth unemployment climbed.
And Buhari, always reserved, kept mostly quiet.
Many felt he didn’t speak enough.
Didn’t explain enough.
Didn’t act fast enough.
Still, his supporters held faith — pointing to his simple lifestyle, lack of corruption scandals, and consistency.
To some, he was too slow.
To others, he was the only man not stealing.
A Generation Grows Restless
Then came #EndSARS in 2020.
A protest against police brutality — but really, it was about something deeper.
Young Nigerians weren’t just angry at SARS.
They were angry at a system that felt deaf to their lives.
On October 11, Buhari responded. SARS had been disbanded — after days of protests and mounting international pressure.
But many didn’t buy it.
Officers were quietly reassigned. The unit was renamed.
The pain didn’t end — and neither did the protests.
Then came October 20.
The lights went off at Lekki Toll Gate.
CCTV cameras were removed.
And shots rang out… Lives were lost.
The government denied responsibility.
Buhari eventually addressed the nation — but by then, the damage was done.
It wasn’t just blood on the pavement. It was trust, shattered.
For a generation that once saw Buhari as a symbol of discipline and hope, it felt betrayed.
A quiet farewell
In 2023, Buhari did something rare for an African leader:
He stepped down, peacefully.
No drama. No “third term” games.
He simply handed the baton to Bola Tinubu — and returned to Daura.
He lived out his last years in quiet retirement.
And on July 13, 2025, he passed away in London.
What will history say?
Buhari’s story isn’t simple.
He was a soldier who believed in structure.
A civilian president who moved carefully.
A leader more respected than loved, more trusted than understood.
Some will remember the security gains.
Others will remember the hardship.
Some will salute his honesty.
Others will point to his silence.
But no one can deny this: He tried to discipline Nigeria.
The question is: Was Nigeria ever ready to be disciplined?
