Buhari: The Man, The President, The Phenomenal of Times

By: Mustapha Shuaibu Ringim   Muhammadu Buhari, born on December 17, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, emerged from a modest Fulani background to become one of the most prominent figures in Nigeria’s post-independence history. His formative years were shaped by discipline, Islam, and a commitment to public service values, a zeal he would carry into […]

By: Mustapha Shuaibu Ringim

 

Muhammadu Buhari, born on December 17, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, emerged from a modest Fulani background to become one of the most prominent figures in Nigeria’s post-independence history. His formative years were shaped by discipline, Islam, and a commitment to public service values, a zeal he would carry into military and political life. Trained at the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) and later in the UK, India, and the US, Buhari grew into a soldier known for his stoicism and uprightness.

Buhari’s character was built on ascetic values; he lived simply, spoke sparingly, and projected an aura of incorruptibility. Even his detractors acknowledged his personal integrity. Yet, this personal discipline also fed a reputation for rigidity and intolerance, particularly towards dissent and democratic processes. He was never a man for compromise, a trait that later complicated his leadership.

His earlier years as military governor and later as Minister for Petroleum in the late 1970s showcased his sense of duty, but it was his role in the 1983 military coup that first marked him as a national force. He took power with the intent to correct the “inefficiencies” of civilian rule. The short-lived military regime of 1983-85 would become the subject of fierce debate.

As a military head of state from 1983 to 1985, Buhari ruled with an iron fist. He launched the infamous “War Against Indiscipline,” jailing journalists, outlawing strikes, and punishing what his government saw as social ills with draconian fervor. Many applauded his crackdown on corruption, while others condemned the disregard for civil liberties. His execution of drug traffickers and detainment of opposition figures without trial left a deep scar on Nigeria’s democratic consciousness.

His ouster in 1985 by General Ibrahim Babangida was met with mixed reactions. Some Nigerians were relieved; others believed he was a necessary evil removed too soon.

Buhari returned to power in 2015 as a democratically elected president in an unprecedented comeback. Riding a wave of populism, anti-corruption zeal, and frustration with Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Buhari became the symbol of national reawakening. His victory was historic, Nigeria’s first peaceful transfer of power from a ruling party to an opposition.

But the second coming did not match the expectations. His presidency from 2015 to 2023 was marked by paradoxes: the man once seen as a messiah grew distant, aloof, and visibly frail. Though some reforms were attempted, many believed he squandered the goodwill of his electoral mandate.

Buhari’s eight years in civilian power were defined by three main pillars: anti-corruption, security, and economic reform. On corruption, while some high-profile cases were prosecuted, critics argued that the campaign was selective, and lacked systemic depth.. Agencies like EFCC became entangled in internal power struggles, and whistleblower policies faded into obscurity.

The Security, which Buhari, an ex-general, was expected to restore, deteriorated on multiple fronts. Banditry surged in the North West, and kidnapping became a nationwide crisis. Despite military spending, the state appeared overwhelmed. Critics questioned his appointments, loyalty to underperforming aides, and perceived lack of urgency.

On the economy, Buhari presided over two recessions. His policies, border closures, forex restrictions, currency change and a fixation on agricultural self-sufficiency, were ambitious but poorly implemented. Inflation soared, the naira plummeted, and youth unemployment worsened. Yet, there were bright spots: infrastructure development improved, rail projects expanded, and some progress was made in local production.

Socially, Buhari’s leadership appeared distant from the pulse of the people. He rarely spoke to the nation spontaneously. The draconian handling of the #EndSARS and Shia movement protests, exposed a generation gap and mistrust. While his government launched the N-Power and TraderMoni schemes, many viewed them as stopgaps rather than transformative.

Muhammadu Buhari’s political life is more than just a sequence of offices held. He is a phenomenon, an enigma who symbolized hope, disappointment, and endurance all at once. His rise, fall, and resurrection mirror Nigeria’s own oscillations between dictatorship and democracy, promise and despair.

Supporters hail him as a principled nationalist, a man who resisted Western pressure and reasserted Nigeria’s sovereignty. His non-materialistic lifestyle is often cited in contrast to many of his peers. Detractors, however, lament his perceived inability to build consensus in a plural society.

Buhari’s era, especially the second, taught Nigeria hard lessons about leadership: that personal integrity is not enough; that competence, empathy, and adaptability matter; and that silence from the top can deepen national fractures.

He remains a symbol of a nation searching for moral clarity amidst chaos, a relic of discipline in an age of excess, yet not immune to the failures he once vowed to erase.

Buhari was not just a man or a president; he was a mirror reflecting Nigeria’s contradictions. His name will endure, not for perfect governance, but for the weight he carried, the shadows he left behind, and the questions his rule posed for future generations. In death, as in life, Muhammadu Buhari remains the phenomenal of his times, feared, admired, misunderstood, and forever debated.

May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him peaceful rest. Allahumma amin.

 

Mustapha Ringim writes from Lagos, Nigeria