14 Things You Should Know About the Late Muhammadu Buhari

Things You Should Know About the Late Muhammadu Buhari.
He ruled Nigeria as both military and civilian leader.
His legacy includes anti-corruption, insecurity, and economic downturns.

Nigeria is in mourning following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari on July 13, 2025, in London at the age of 82.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that a former military ruler and two‑term civilian president, Buhari’s life was defined by a strict discipline, a hardline anti‑corruption campaign, and a polarising leadership style.

Here are 14 key facts that shaped his life and legacy.

Muhammadu Buhari died at the age of 82 on July 13, 2025, in London.
He was the first opposition candidate in Nigeria to defeat a sitting president when he won the 2015 election against Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari ruled Nigeria twice — first as a military head of state from 1983 to 1985, and then as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023.
He was widely known for launching anti-corruption campaigns during both his military and civilian regimes, although critics accused him of bias in his approach.
His administration struggled with rising insecurity, as violence spread beyond Boko Haram to include banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and kidnapping for ransom.
Buhari was nicknamed “Baba Go Slow” due to his slow-paced governance style, especially his six-month delay in appointing ministers after taking office.
Nigeria slipped into two economic recessions under his leadership, with high inflation and youth unemployment being major concerns.
He frequently travelled abroad, especially to the United Kingdom, for medical treatment, prompting criticism about transparency and absentee governance.
His government was widely condemned for its handling of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, during which security forces reportedly opened fire on peaceful demonstrators.
In 2021, he banned Twitter (now X) for several months after the platform deleted one of his tweets — a move seen as suppressing free speech.
Born on December 17, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, Buhari was the 23rd child of his father and came from a Fulani family.
He enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1961 and received military training in the UK, India, and the United States.
His military regime in 1984 was linked to a failed plot to abduct exiled former minister Umaru Dikko from London in a diplomatic crate.
Before finally winning in 2015, Buhari had contested and lost presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011, making him one of Nigeria’s most persistent politicians.

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