Muhammadu Buhari (president)

Muhammadu Buhari (president)
Name	Muhammadu Buhari
Birth date	17 December 1942
Birth place	Daura, Northern Region, British Nigeria
Office	President of Nigeria
Term start	29 May 2015
Term end	29 May 2023
Predecessor	Goodluck Jonathan
Successor	Bola Tinubu
Party	All Progressives Congress
Alma mater	Nigerian Military Training College

Muhammadu Buhari (president) was a Nigerian politician and retired major general who served as President of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A native of Daura, he rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Army and held the office of Head of State from 1983 to 1985 following a military coup; he later contested multiple civilian elections before winning the 2015 presidency as leader of the All Progressives Congress. His tenure focused on security, anti-corruption campaigns, and economic reforms amid contested policy outcomes and public debate involving national institutions and international partners.

Early life and military career

Born in Daura in 1942, Buhari was raised in a Fulani family with ties to northern Hausa–Fulani aristocracy. He attended local schools in Daura and Bauchi before enrolling at the Katsina Provincial School. Buhari received military training at the Nigerian Military Training College and later attended courses at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, the United Kingdom, and the Command and Staff College, Jaji. He served in the Nigerian Civil War (also known as the Biafran War) and held commands including the 1st Division and the Prosperity Unit postings; he was involved in Operation Feed the Nation as a military administrator and presided over regional assignments such as Sokoto State and Borno State postings. Buhari participated in the series of post-independence coups that reshaped Nigerian politics and was allied with figures such as Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo, Yakubu Gowon, and Murtala Mohammed during his military career.

Entry into politics and early presidential bids

After the 1983 coup d'état that brought him to power, Buhari chaired transitional bodies including the Supreme Military Council and implemented policies such as the War Against Indiscipline; his regime clashed with economic actors, civil society groups like the Nigerian Labour Congress, and media organizations. Overthrown in 1985 by Ibrahim Babangida, Buhari was detained and later returned to public life in the 1990s, engaging with parties such as the All Nigeria Peoples Party and the Congress for Progressive Change. He contested presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011, facing opponents including Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, Atiku Abubakar, and Nuhu Ribadu. Buhari’s campaigns emphasized anti-corruption, security, and regional representation; his alliances and mergers culminated in the formation of the All Progressives Congress with leaders like Bola Tinubu, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Chibuike Amaechi, and John Odigie Oyegun.

2015 presidential campaign and election

The 2015 campaign mobilized former rivals and civil society groups, leveraging concerns about Boko Haram, declining oil revenues, and dissatisfaction with the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Buhari ran with running mate Yemi Osinbajo on the APC ticket and secured endorsements from figures such as Shehu Musa Yar'Adua’s circle and northern political blocs. The Independent National Electoral Commission and electoral processes featured competition with the People's Democratic Party and leaders like Atiku Abubakar; Buhari won by plurality and defeated Goodluck Jonathan in a historic transfer of power, marking the first time an incumbent lost a presidential election in Nigeria’s history since the restoration of democracy in 1999.

Presidency (2015–2023): policies and governance

Buhari’s administration prioritized initiatives across ministries including the Ministry of Defence (Nigeria), Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and Ministry of Petroleum Resources. It established institutions and programs such as the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, the Presidential Task Force on Food Security, and the National Economic Council. Cabinet figures included Kemi Adeosun, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (briefly linked in discourse), Babatunde Raji Fashola, Kashim Shettima (state-level affiliates), and Godwin Emefiele in central roles. Buhari’s governance engaged with bodies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Assembly (Nigeria), and the Supreme Court of Nigeria; it negotiated with international actors including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the African Union, and the United Nations on fiscal and security matters.

Security, Boko Haram and counterinsurgency

Responding to the insurgency of Boko Haram and the splinter Islamic State West Africa Province, Buhari’s government launched operations involving the Multinational Joint Task Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, and regional partners such as Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin. Notable events during his term included counteroffensives reclaiming territories in Borno State, the rehabilitation of displaced persons in camps coordinated with International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and debates over tactics that involved actors like the Civilian Joint Task Force and advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The administration’s security strategy intersected with efforts to combat banditry in Northwest Nigeria and separatist tensions involving movements such as the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Economy, anti-corruption and social policy

Facing a collapse in oil prices, the Buhari presidency pursued fiscal measures including currency management by the Central Bank of Nigeria, subsidy reforms at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and engagement with the IMF and World Bank for macroeconomic adjustments. Anti-corruption was foregrounded through agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, and prosecutions involving figures from prior administrations like Diezani Alison-Madueke and Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in public discourse. Social interventions included the N-Power program, conditional cash transfers linked to the National Social Safety Net, and agricultural initiatives engaging the Central Bank’s intervention funds and partnerships with state governments like Kano State and Lagos State.

Health, controversies and legacy

Buhari’s later terms encompassed public health events including responses to the 2019 Lassa fever outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic; his administration coordinated with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and global health partners for vaccination and containment strategies. Controversies marked his tenure, including debates over institutional independence involving the Central Bank of Nigeria, court cases in the Supreme Court of Nigeria, allegations of human rights abuses raised by Amnesty International, internal party disputes in the APC, and economic critiques from figures such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Wole Soyinka. Buhari’s legacy is assessed through the prisms of security gains against Boko Haram, anticorruption narratives, fiscal reforms, and the political realignment that led to the 2023 transition to Bola Tinubu.

Category:Presidents of Nigeria Category:Nigerian military personnel Category:People from Katsina State