London: Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari died in London on Sunday following a “prolonged illness,” a presidential spokesperson announced. “President Buhari died today in London at about 4:30 p.m. (1530 GMT),” President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson wrote in a post on X. The nature of the 82-year-old’s illness was not disclosed.
According to Deutsche Welle, Buhari’s governance was marked by his transformation into a “converted democrat” after initially seizing power in 1983 as a military ruler. He then defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, achieving what was considered Nigeria’s fairest election at the time, and remained in power until 2023.
Tinubu has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Buhari, whose tenure was often clouded by health-related rumors. Buhari’s government faced scrutiny for a perceived lack of transparency regarding his health, as he occasionally took extended absences. Despite this, Buhari admitted during one of his trips that he had “never been so ill” and had undergone several blood transfusions.
Buhari’s initial rule was brief, as he was ousted after only 18 months by another military officer, Ibrahim Babangida. For the next 30 years, Buhari was involved with fringe political parties and made several attempts to run for president before his 2015 election victory. However, his administration faced challenges, including a recession, militant attacks on oilfields, and his repeated hospital stays.
Many had high hopes that Buhari, a retired major general, would effectively tackle armed groups as he did during his time as a military head of state. However, security issues persisted, with groups like Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), spreading violence throughout Nigeria. Over 36,000 people have been killed, and another 2 million displaced in 16 years of violence, according to the United Nations.