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Ex-Nigerian president dies at a clinic in London
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Muhammadu Buhari, a former Nigerian military ruler who went on to become the nation's first opposition candidate to win a presidential election, has died. He was 82.
Buhari died on Sunday afternoon at a clinic in London, his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement, citing his family. He didn't provide further details.
During his presidency, Buhari struggled to tackle endemic poverty and unemployment in Africa's most-populous nation, or counter widespread insecurity and a spate of kidnappings. He also battled to diversify the economy away from oil, which accounts for the vast majority of Nigeria's foreign-exchange earnings.
The economy dipped into recession twice within four years during his tenure and Nigerians grew poorer and less secure by nearly ever measure. The World Bank estimates Nigeria has one of the highest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world.
Buhari stepped down in May 2023, at the end of his second elected four-year term, and was replaced by Bola Tinubu.
Military Commander
Born in the town of Daura in the northern Katsina state on Dec. 17, 1942, Buhari was the son of an ethnic Fulani chief. He joined the military and earned a reputation as a tough commander when he drove Chadian soldiers away from occupied Nigerian islands in Lake Chad in 1983.
Later that year, he led a group of officers in overthrowing Nigeria's first democratically elected leader, President Shehu Shagari. The New Year's Eve coup, which came four years after more than a decade of military rule had ended, was widely condemned.
Buhari's rule as a military head of state was particularly draconian. He ordered the death penalty for drug smugglers and allowed the public execution of three people who'd committed the offense. Twenty months after seizing power, he was toppled in a coup led by Ibrahim Babangida, an army general, and was held in detention for four years.
When military rule ended again in 1999, Buhari entered politics and campaigned for president in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He won strong support in all three contests in the mainly Muslim north, where he was seen as being untainted by corruption, but was defeated by candidates from the more developed south.
Assassination Attempt
He escaped an assassination attempt by suspected members of the Islamist group Boko Haram in 2014, when a car bomb exploded next to his vehicle in the northern city of Kaduna.
Buhari finally won the presidency in 2015, beating incumbent Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party, which had held power since 1999. It was the first peaceful transition of power in the nation's history.
The victory proved to be the high point of Buhari's presidency. The price of crude tumbled soon after he took office, triggering the country's first recession in about two decades in 2016. And in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck, causing another oil market slump and a second contraction.
Buhari's critics said he made a bad situation worse because he failed to pursue reforms and wanted the government to drive economic growth, rather than letting private investors and companies take the lead. He retained energy subsidies even as his administration struggled to bolster tax revenue and increased borrowing to plug widening budget deficits.
When oil revenues dropped, he borrowed extensively and by the time he left office, the country was spending almost all its revenue on servicing debt.
Second Term
While Buhari's pick of loyalists from his mainly Muslim northern region for key security and cabinet positions stoked resentment in the mainly Christian south, he nonetheless won a second four-year term in 2019, securing 56% of the vote.
The deteriorating state of the economy, spreading insecurity and rising poverty levels saw Buhari's popularity slump, even in his northern strongholds, as his rule drew to a close. Despite strong opposition, his party's nominee Tinubu won the 2023 election, albeit by the lowest margin of any presidential candidate since 1999. The opposition unsuccessfully challenged the outcome of that vote.
After stepping down, Buhari retired to his hometown of Daura, where he kept cattle, and maintained a low public profile.
He married his wife Aisha Buhari in 1989 and they had five children. He had another two children with his first wife, Safinatu Yusuf, who died in 1990.
Buhari died on Sunday afternoon at a clinic in London, his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement, citing his family. He didn't provide further details.
During his presidency, Buhari struggled to tackle endemic poverty and unemployment in Africa's most-populous nation, or counter widespread insecurity and a spate of kidnappings. He also battled to diversify the economy away from oil, which accounts for the vast majority of Nigeria's foreign-exchange earnings.
The economy dipped into recession twice within four years during his tenure and Nigerians grew poorer and less secure by nearly ever measure. The World Bank estimates Nigeria has one of the highest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world.
Buhari stepped down in May 2023, at the end of his second elected four-year term, and was replaced by Bola Tinubu.
Military Commander
Born in the town of Daura in the northern Katsina state on Dec. 17, 1942, Buhari was the son of an ethnic Fulani chief. He joined the military and earned a reputation as a tough commander when he drove Chadian soldiers away from occupied Nigerian islands in Lake Chad in 1983.
Later that year, he led a group of officers in overthrowing Nigeria's first democratically elected leader, President Shehu Shagari. The New Year's Eve coup, which came four years after more than a decade of military rule had ended, was widely condemned.
Buhari's rule as a military head of state was particularly draconian. He ordered the death penalty for drug smugglers and allowed the public execution of three people who'd committed the offense. Twenty months after seizing power, he was toppled in a coup led by Ibrahim Babangida, an army general, and was held in detention for four years.
When military rule ended again in 1999, Buhari entered politics and campaigned for president in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He won strong support in all three contests in the mainly Muslim north, where he was seen as being untainted by corruption, but was defeated by candidates from the more developed south.
Assassination Attempt
He escaped an assassination attempt by suspected members of the Islamist group Boko Haram in 2014, when a car bomb exploded next to his vehicle in the northern city of Kaduna.
Buhari finally won the presidency in 2015, beating incumbent Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party, which had held power since 1999. It was the first peaceful transition of power in the nation's history.
The victory proved to be the high point of Buhari's presidency. The price of crude tumbled soon after he took office, triggering the country's first recession in about two decades in 2016. And in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck, causing another oil market slump and a second contraction.
Buhari's critics said he made a bad situation worse because he failed to pursue reforms and wanted the government to drive economic growth, rather than letting private investors and companies take the lead. He retained energy subsidies even as his administration struggled to bolster tax revenue and increased borrowing to plug widening budget deficits.
When oil revenues dropped, he borrowed extensively and by the time he left office, the country was spending almost all its revenue on servicing debt.
Second Term
While Buhari's pick of loyalists from his mainly Muslim northern region for key security and cabinet positions stoked resentment in the mainly Christian south, he nonetheless won a second four-year term in 2019, securing 56% of the vote.
The deteriorating state of the economy, spreading insecurity and rising poverty levels saw Buhari's popularity slump, even in his northern strongholds, as his rule drew to a close. Despite strong opposition, his party's nominee Tinubu won the 2023 election, albeit by the lowest margin of any presidential candidate since 1999. The opposition unsuccessfully challenged the outcome of that vote.
After stepping down, Buhari retired to his hometown of Daura, where he kept cattle, and maintained a low public profile.
He married his wife Aisha Buhari in 1989 and they had five children. He had another two children with his first wife, Safinatu Yusuf, who died in 1990.
Source - online
