Know Your President in Waiting: Muhammdu Buhari.. BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS He was born on a Thursday, the 17th of December, 1942, (that makes him 70 years even though he doesnt look it). Unlike many other northerners who were born into aristocratic backgrounds and climbed up using the prestige of their families and the influence of their fathers, Buhari was born into a humble family, what we call pako background in my area. He lost his father at a very tender age (he was just four), both parents pampered him like a pet as he was their last child but he had about 20 other siblings whom his father sired with other women in previous marriages. His mum had given birth to a set of twins before Buhari but they both died shortly after birth. That explains one of his nicknames Leko which means someone born after twins who died, something like Idowu in Yorubaland. His father was Alhaji Hardo Adamu and Hajiya Zulhatu (nee Musa) was his mother, the daughter of the Sarkin Dogarai, what can be translated as the head of the infantry who was in turn the son of the Kauran Daura Lawal, head of the Daura military forces. His paternal grandfather was a typical Fulani who lived the nomadic life but later settled for a life of farming in Daura, Katsina State. His mother would later die on the 14th of December, 1988, a few days to his birthday. Buhari, who had just been released from prison, got to Daura a few hours after the burial of his mother. He was not fortunate enough to witness her being buried. Please note that Buharis mother was not Fulani but Hausa (Habe) and she was already a widow with seven children when she married Buharis father who was the Fulani chief of the Dumurkol Village, near Daura. As a child, he played round the dusty roads of the town and remembers clearly the time he fell of a horse during one of his recreational periods. GROWING UP AND EDUCATION A proper Katsina boy, he attended the Katsina Middle School and later proceeded to the Katsina Provincial Secondary School for his high education. From there, he went off to start his military education, like many boys of the north at that time. IN THE MILITARY In becoming a soldier, he attended the following institutions: -Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC), 1962 -Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, United Kingdom (1962-1963). Generals Sani Abacha (read about him here>>> abiyamo/sani-abacha-nigerias-most-enigmatic-ruler/ and Obasanjo also attended this academy). -Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Tamil Nadu, India (1973), Obasanjo also attended this college (see picture). -US Army War College (1979-1980) In the year 1962, he joined the Nigerian Army and rose steadily through the ranks. -Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, 1963 -Platoon Commander, United Nations Peacekeeping Force, Congo, early 1960s. -Platoon Commander, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Abeokuta, Ogun State, 1963. -Commander, 2nd Infantry Battalion, 1965-1967 (during the Nigerian Civil War too). -Appointed Brigade Major, 2 Sector, 1st Infantry Division, April 1967. -Brigade Major and Commander, 31st Infantry Brigade, 1970-1971 -Assistant Adjutant-General, 1st Infantry Division Headquarters, 1971-1972 -Acting Director, Transport and Supply, Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport Headquarters, 1974-1975. -Military Secretary, Army Headquarters, 1978-1979 -Member, Supreme Military Council, 1978-1979 -General Officer Commanding, Ibadan, Oyo State. -General Officer Commanding, Jos, Plateau State. From July 1975 to February 1976, he served as the newly-created Governor of the North- Eastern State under the regime of the late General Murtala Muhammed (read all about Murtala here>>> abiyamo/murtala-muhammed-nigerias-most-popular-leader/ ). The North- Eastern State is what we know as Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba States. Mehn, thats huge! See the picture below. Later, after the assassination of Murtala Muhammed, he served as the Federal Commissioner (now Minister) for Petroleum, Energy and Natural Resources under General Olusegun Obasanjo. He was appointed to that post in 1976 and was there till 1978. On the 1st of April, 1977, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel and the Nigerian National Oil Corporation were both merged together to form what is now the ultimate ATM machine for Nigerian leaders -the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Buhari was appointed as the head of the NNPC in 1978 and was there till 1979. (The NNPC states that its vision is to become a world-class oil and gas company driven by shared commitment to excellence while its mission as an integrated Oil and Gas Company is to be engaged in adding value to the nations hydrocarbon resources for the benefit of all Nigerians and other stakeholders. I think that all Nigerians should be rewritten as some Nigerians while the other stakeholders should be edited and become the cabal. As an ordinary Nigerian, ayam yet to feel the full benefit o. Sorry for the digreson, e dey pain me for body ni, we were on Buhari shey....lol! ) Watch a video of Buhari swearing in the new governors here>>> youtube/watch?v=Z_JjYG-ef8M THE COUP & BECOMING HEAD OF STATE On the last day of the year 1983, a coup was in operation to overthrow the democratically- elected government of President Shehu Shagari. The most interesting thing about the coup was that even though it was neatly orchestrated by middle-cadre and top brass in the military, Buhari was not initially the person to become the Head of State. The person that was expected to become the new HOS after the coup was Brigadier Ibrahim Bako. Bako and his boys stormed the Presidents residence to overthrow him. Shagari was woken up by his security team and alerted that Bako and his men were on their way to the State House to arrest him. Quickly, President Shagari was evacuated to a safer location and the stage was set for one of the most dramatic gunfights in Nigerias political history. To guard, protect and defend the Nigerian President then was the Brigade of Guards, headed by Captain Augustine A. Anyogo, an elite presidential bodyguard made up of some of the best-trained hands in the Armed Forces. They fought to the last and in the ensuing battle and under circumstances that are still not very clear, Bako, who was supposed to be the new Head of State was hit (IBB denies that Bako was to be the new HOS but agreed he was a chief plotter). He died. On Bakos death, IBB would later say that maybe it was due to an accidental discharge. Hear him: Question:“…What really happened to General Bako?” Babangida: “..….when they went to Abuja for that operation, ….this thing happened in the night… you see, from the experiences we had from the civil war, we found out that soldiers sometimes panic and when they panic, there are dire consequences. So, it was in the night and there was what you could call accidental discharge and the first reaction of the soldiers was that they were being attacked and in situations like that, you could shoot anyway. It happened to us I remember, during the civil war. You get shot at in the front and the sound reverberates behind so the soldiers at the back believes that the person shooting is right there then they forgot that some 500 meters away are what we refer to as own troops, your own forces. Because of no adequate training, a soldier would just cork his riffle and start shooting only to discover that he is shooting his own people. During the civil war, we sustained lots of casualties as a result of this situation. So, my suspicion is that a similar situation must have played out during that operation in Abuja and a bullet hit the late Ibrahim (Bako).” Question: “So, claims that General Tunde Ogbeha may have pulled the trigger on Bako are not correct after all?” Babangida: “I would not like to say he did it, no. It was the situation they found themselves; it was dark and everybody was shooting anyhow.” In short, no one really knows exactly how Bako died. As at the time of the coup and following Bakos death, General Buhari was commanding the Third Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army in Jos, Plateau State and he was far from the center of action in Lagos State. An agreement was reached and Buhari was selected to become the head. A jet was on to Jos to later bring Buhari who was not in the meeting. But during one of the meetings to choose him, a mild drama played itself out. Some of the military officers wanted to select IBB as the new head of state but in a fit of fury, Mustapha Jokolo drew out his gun and said no one would leave that place alive if Buhari was not crowned the head of state, that IBB would become the Head of State over his dead body. Jokolo would later become the aide-de-camp (ADC) of Buhari and later the Emir of Gwandu in Kebbi State before he was deposed and banished from his own kingdom (Jokolo and Colonel Sabo Aliyu, who was heading the Brigade of Guard were captured the day Buhari was overthrown and were beaten to a state of stupor, the beating was so intense that rumours initially flew out that Jokolo was dead). To cut long story short...lol, Buhari was elected as the Head of State and the Commander-in- Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and his appointment was formalized on the 1st of January, 1984. It would last until the 27th of August, 1985 when Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and his cohorts like Abacha dem took over. The Supreme Military Council (SMC) was formed (see the full cabinet list below). LOVE, ROMANCE AND MARRIAGE General Buhari’s first wife was the late Hajiya Safinatu (nee Yusuf) Buhari. He courted her when she was fourteen and married her at the age of eighteen. A very shy and conservative Muslim woman, she was not too visible on the social radar. They married in 1971 and the marriage was blessed with four children, all girls (Zulaiha Magajiya (the first daughter, and she was named after Buhari’s mother) Fatima, Hadizatu Nana, and Safinatu Lami). Buhari was so focused on salvaging Nigeria that he preferred to remain single throughout the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and it was not until the war ended that he got married to his sweetheart, Safinatu. Although he was so passionate about his job that he was said to have being ‘married to the Army’, he always called his wife on the phone on a regular basis. As the First Lady of Nigeria, Hajiya Safinatu was not in the spotlight. Actually, she avoided the limelight for religious and cultural reasons, and coupled with the fact that her husband led a life free of ostentation, Nigerians do not know much about her. After Buhari was released from jail, he divorced Safinatu for reportedly receiving financial assistance from IBB while he was in prison. Later in December 1989, he got married to Hajiya Aisha Halilu, a Fulani lady from Adamawa State. Hajiya Safinatu later died in February 2006 from the complications of diabetes. The Hajiya Safinatu Buhari Foundation (HSB) was created by her late daughter, Zulaiha, in her honour. The foundation caters for destitutes suffering from diabetes (now, that’s a noble idea). FAMILY AND CHILDREN General Buhari’s children – Fatima, Hadiza, Zulaiha, Aisha, Safina, Halima, Yusuf and Zarah. -On Friday, the 30th of November, 2012, the death was announced of Zulaiha, Buhari’s eldest daughter. Described as a most humble and gentle person by her friends, she was born on the 5th of December, 1972 and had her nursery school education in the United States where her parents were based then. Later, she attended the Air Force Primary School (AFPS) in Lagos and then to the prestigious Queens College, Lagos. In 1985, she continued in the second year at the Federal Government College, Kaduna and finished in 1990. For her university education, she attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where she bagged a degree in economics. Later, she finished her postgraduate studies in management in the same school and got a diploma. She worked at the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Steel in Kaduna until her demise shortly after delivery. Before her death, she was also the Treasurer of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). An active community worker, she worked without making any noise in other non-governmental organizations in the country despite the fact that she had a long- running battle with sickle cell anaemia. Her sisters fondly called her ‘Yaya Babba’ and she is survived by her husband, Captain Junaid Abdullahi, three kids: Halima, Muhammad Buhari and the baby girl after whose delivery breathed her last at a private clinic in Kaduna. HIS WORDS -No nation can survive without a decent judiciary and effective law enforcement agencies. (2nd September, 2011). -On why he did not promote himself General, retiring with the rank of a Major-General: “It was the conviction of our regime that, being the Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, does not mean that you are the overall General. My ultimate goal as at then was to ensure integrity, justice, equity, accountability and transparency in the system. That was why I did away with unnecessarily promoting myself to General.” At the launching of two books: “Nigerian Military in Politics: 1966-2011 and Politics of Transition to Civil Rule in Nigeria” in Zaria, Kaduna State, 5th July 2013. WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT HIM -Truth, like cork, cannot sink. It cannot be sunk. It always floats. Time will vindicate him. - Professor Tam David-West, Buhari’s minister of petroleum and energy. -Buhari is a very likeable and honest person. You can always know where you stand with him on any issues, he is very straightforward. He is a man who adheres to principle. -General DOMKAT BALI. JOINING POLITICS A former military dictator, General Buhari has molded himself into a democrat and remains one of the most dominant figures in Nigerian politics. He has contested for the nation’s highest office three times -1999, 2003 and 2011 but lost even though the facts be stated, these elections were marred by all sorts of irregularities, and sure, that includes all the political parties involved in the race. So maybe, it is a matter of one outrigging the other. But, worefa… lolz! General Buhari is now of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and from all indications, he will be pitching his tent against the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan come 2015. As for me, I really don’t care who wins (okay, don’t let me lie, I actually do care and I will say let the best and most progressive team win even if I am yet to see one), all I want is for the politicians not to set the entire nation ablaze because one party has decided to fakekori and reject the results. This one that we are hearing all sorts of threats from the north to the south (is it Professor Ango Abdullahi’s own venomous vituperations now or Mujahid Asari-Dokubo’s obese statements?). We don’t want another civil war and it will be in everybody’s interest that these politicians give themselves brain. Ki won fun ra won lopolo gidi. Nigeria is greater than the aspiration of any single man, and that applies to all of them, including the incumbent and all those who will be doing the Presidential Olympic Games with him. HONOURS, AWARDS AND LEGACIES In 2003, after the presidential elections were conducted, which Buhari has lost to General Obasanjo, Buhari was awarded the highest national honour, the Grand Commander of the the Federal Republic (GCFR) but he did not show up at the award ceremony and he stated that the Obasanjo government was an illegitimate one and it would be improper for him to accept an award from such a regime. CFR Commander of the Federal Republic DSM Defence Service Medal NSM National Service Medal GSM General Service Medal LSGCM Loyal Service and Good Conduct Medal FSS Force Service Staff CD The Congo Medal -Doctor of Laws, (Honoris causa), University of Calabar, Cross River State. -Doctor of Laws, (Honoris causa) Benue State University -Doctor of Laws, (Honoris causa) Enugu State University -Doctor of Letters (Honoris causa) (D.Litt), University of Ilorin -Doctor of Science (Honoris causa), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi BUHARI TODAY & CONCLUSION Today, the stage is set for a final showdown in 2015 between the old warhorse General Buhari and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari is generally perceived as a honest leader capable of stemming the tide of nonsense in Nigeria but some people are afraid and are not really sure if Nigeria will retain its secularity under a Buhari presidency. Some analysts also feel that his base is mainly in the North and he has to do his homework well in penetrating the south if he is to win. As for the other camp of GEJ, whether the Sun likes, it can rise in the west and set in the east, Jonathan will still win. They count on various factors like his achievements while others harp on his power of incumbency and others. But whatever will happen, I have just one prayer: may the Federal Republic of Nigeria survive 2015 and beyond - onto greater heights. READ ALL AND SEE MORE PICTURES HERE>>> abiyamo/muhammadu-buhari-
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 05:51:39 +0000