13/07/2025
⬆️ Nigeria's Ex-leader Buhari Dies At 82, Closing An Era Of Contradictions
Africa wakes up to the passing of a towering, if divisive, figure. Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died in a London clinic at 82, his family confirmed in a statement early this morning.
Mr Buhari, who was Nigeria’s immediate past president, reportedly left for the UK in April for a routine check-up but never fully recovered. Details on the cause of death remain scant, though the frailty of his health was often whispered about during his two terms.
A retired major general, Buhari’s legacy is woven with striking contradictions. He first seized power through a military coup in December 1983, promising national discipline in a corruption-riddled era, but was toppled in August 1985. Three decades later, he returned; this time through the ballot box, and made history in 2015 as the first opposition candidate to unseat an incumbent in Africa’s largest democracy.
His eight-year rule was defined by aggressive anti-corruption rhetoric, yet many critics say he fell short of cleaning up Nigeria’s entrenched systems. On security, his pledge to crush Boko Haram brought initial gains but left deep scars as the insurgency mutated and spread.
He leaves behind a complex record: loved by sections who revered his Spartan personal lifestyle, loathed by many who found his leadership aloof, rigid and sometimes blind to human rights concerns.
Nigeria in Reflection
Buhari’s passing will provoke reflection across West Africa, where military coups are resurging while the continent’s biggest oil producer still wrestles with the same hydra of corruption, banditry, and deep economic inequalities.
At the time of his exit in 2023, Mr Buhari publicly acknowledged some of his administration’s failings but insisted history would be kinder to him. Today, that history begins its judgment.
Flags in Abuja are expected to fly at half-mast as the country and the region come to terms with the loss of a leader who shaped Nigeria’s modern political identity both in and out of uniform.
More updates to follow as the family and government announce funeral arrangements.
