Former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who has died aged 82 in a London clinic, was a former military ruler and self-proclaimed democrat convert who returned to power through elections but struggled to convince Nigerians he could deliver the change he promised, the BBC reported, transmeotn Gazeta Express.
Never a natural politician, he was seen as cold and harsh. But he maintained a reputation for personal honesty – a rare feat for a politician in Nigeria.
After three failed attempts, Buhari achieved a historic victory in 2015, becoming the first opposition candidate in the country to defeat a sitting president. In 2019, he was re-elected for another four-year term.
Buhari had always been popular among the northern poor (known as “talakawa” in the Hausa language), but for the 2015 campaign, he had the advantage of a united opposition grouping supporting him.
Many of his supporters believed his military background and disciplinary credentials were what the country needed to confront the Islamist insurgency in the north. Buhari also promised to fight corruption and nepotism in government and create job opportunities for young Nigerians.
But his time in office coincided with a plunge in global oil prices and the country's worst economic crisis in decades.
His administration has also been criticized for its handling of insecurity. During the campaign, he had promised to defeat the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. But the group remains a threat, and one of its factions is now affiliated with the so-called Islamic State group.
There has also been a rise in deadly clashes between farmers and ethnic Fulani herdsmen in central Nigeria. Mr. Buhari, a Fulani, has been accused of not being tough enough on the herdsmen or of not doing enough to stop the crisis.
The activities of so-called bandits in the northwestern part of the country saw the kidnapping of hundreds of high school students.
Under his watch, the armed forces were accused of human rights abuses – such as opening fire on protesters against police brutality at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos in October 2020.
t7 live
