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Muhammadu Buhari was born to a Fulani family [15] on 17 December 1942, in Daura, a town in Katsina State, Nigeria. His father was called Mallam Hardo Adamu, a Fulani chieftain from Dumurkul in Mai'Adua, and his mother, whose name was Zulaihat, had Hausa and Kanuri ancestry. [16] [17] He is the twenty-third- (23) child of his father and was ...
- Himself
- All Progressives Congress (2013–present)
- 1961–1985
- Overview
- Education and military service
- Military head of state
- Political aspirations
- Presidency
Muhammadu Buhari (born December 17, 1942, Daura, Nigeria) Nigerian military leader and politician who served as Nigeria’s head of state in 1984–85 and later as a democratically elected president in 2015–23.
Educated largely in Katsina, Buhari took military training in Kaduna as well as in Great Britain, India, and the United States. He was involved in the military coup that ousted Yakubu Gowon in 1975 and was appointed military governor of North Eastern state (now Borno) that same year. He was appointed federal commissioner for petroleum resources by ...
Many of the economic problems that had existed under the Shagari administration also plagued the Buhari regime, and Buhari instituted austerity measures. He took a tough stance on corruption: during his tenure, hundreds of politicians and business officials were tried and convicted or awaited trial on corruption-related charges. His regime launched the “War Against Indiscipline,” a program which sought to promote positive values in Nigerian society, although authoritarian methods were sometimes used in the program’s implementation. In an effort to stop dissent against his policies, Buhari instituted restrictions on the press, political freedoms, and trade unionists.
Although many Nigerian citizens had initially welcomed Buhari’s efforts to root out corruption and improve societal values, the repressive measures employed by his regime, against a backdrop of continuing economic troubles, led to discontent. By August 1985 even the military had had enough, and on August 27 Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida took control of the government. Buhari was detained in Benin City but was released at the end of 1988.
In 2003 Buhari ran for president and was defeated by the incumbent, Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari ran again in 2007 but was defeated by the PDP’s candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua, in an election that was strongly criticized by international observers as being marred by voting irregularities. Buhari also stood in the 2011 presidential election, which was praised for largely being transparent, free, and fair, but he again lost to the PDP’s candidate, incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
In 2014 the All Progressives Congress (APC) party nominated Buhari to stand as its candidate in the 2015 presidential election. His reputation for being incorruptible and his military background made him an attractive candidate, whom many Nigerians hoped might be able to more effectively handle the threat posed by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram, whose violent acts had terrorized parts of the country in recent years. The March 28 presidential election had 14 candidates, although the real contest was seen as being between Buhari and Jonathan, who was again the PDP’s candidate. In what was Nigeria’s most closely fought election ever, Buhari garnered the most votes—some 2.5 million more than Jonathan, his closest competitor—and was declared the winner. His win marked the first time that the incumbent president had been defeated in Nigeria. Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015.
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Progress under Buhari was mixed. His presidency had a rough start, with the country falling into recession in 2016 in part because of declining revenue from oil sales. By 2018 there was evidence of some economic recovery from the recession, although many Nigerians were still living in extreme poverty. The struggle with Boko Haram factions continued. While the military initially experienced success in curbing the groups, the militants bounced back, and attacks escalated. Furthermore, Buhari’s government faced security threats in the southeastern part of the country from militants seeking to disrupt oil production as well as from Biafran secessionists. His administration’s war on corruption was both praised for its progress and criticized for focusing more on political opponents than on allies.
Throughout this period, Buhari’s health and hence his ability to lead Nigeria were called into question after he repeatedly went abroad for health care. In 2017 alone, he left the country multiple times for treatment of an undisclosed medical ailment; that year, he was absent more than five months altogether, during which time his vice president was in charge. The lack of transparency regarding Buhari’s health and his extended absences led to rumours that he had died and been replaced by a body double. Buhari and his administration dismissed the concerns about his health, and he was named the APC candidate for the February 2019 presidential election. Buhari faced more than 70 challengers in the election, which was originally scheduled to be held on February 16 but was delayed at the last minute until February 23. He emerged victorious, winning reelection with some 56 percent of the vote.
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Jun 15, 2022 · A Nigerian court hears dramatic testimony in the corruption trial of the former central bank chief. President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on promises to make the country safer and tackle ...
Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari leaves legacy of kidnapping, inflation and debt. 20 May 2023. By Nduka Orjinmo,BBC News, Abuja. AFP. There was huge optimism when Muhammadu Buhari was first elected in ...
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Feb 14, 2024 · The government ordered their arrest late on Tuesday, hours after Boss Mustapha, a senior official in ex-President Buhari's administration, testified in Mr Emefiele's trial. Mr Mustapha told the ...
Official website. Muhammadu Buhari 's tenure as the 15th president of Nigeria began with his first inauguration on 29 May 2015, and ended on 29 May 2023. A retired general and member of the All Progressives Congress from Katsina State, he previously served as military head-of-state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, when he was deposed in ...
Muhammadu Buhari is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power from the Shehu Shagari civilian government in a military coup d'état.
