MAJOR-GENERAL Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd), Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR) was born on December 17, 1942, in the town of Daura in the former Katsina province of the then Northern Nigeria. He is happily married to Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and has eight children. He attended primary school in Daura and Mai’adua from 1948 to 1952, before proceeding to Katsina Middle School in 1953. He also attended the Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina) from 1956 to 1961 and then moved to the Nigerian Military Training School, Kaduna in 1963. In October of the same year, he was sent to the officers’ Cadet School in Aldershot in the United Kingdom and was thereafter commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1963 and posted to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Abeokuta as Platoon Commander in 1963. From 1963 to 1964, he was sent for further training on the Platoon Commanders’ Course at the Nigerian Military College, Kaduna. In 1965, he went for the Mechanical Transport Officers’ Course at the Army Mechanical Transport School in Borden, England and in 1973, he went to the Defence Services’ Staff College, Wellington, India before he proceeded to the United States Army War College from June 1979 to June 1980. Muhammadu Buhari was Military Governor, North Eastern State of Nigeria, from August 1975 to March 1976, Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources from March 1976 to June 1978 and the Chairman, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation from June 1978 to July 1979. He became a Member of the Supreme Military Council from March 1976 to June 1979 and the Military Secretary, Army Headquarters from July 1978 to June 1979, before he assumed the highest office of Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces from December 1983 to August 1985. He later became The Executive Chairman, Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund in 1994. It was during Buhar’s tenure that the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources were reorganised to form the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and he became its first Chairman, a job he performed without blemish. He masterminded and spearheaded the construction of 20 oil depots throughout the country, a project involving over 3,200 kilometres of pipelines. Under his leadership, both Warri and Kaduna Refineries were built. He also drew up the blueprint for the country’s petrochemical and liquefied natural gas programmes — all without a hint of scandal. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari launched the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) as a Head of State and the policy won him national and universal applause, as a result of its effectiveness. He became a renowned anti-corruption Czar, as a result of his zero tolerance to corruption, which reduced the menace to its barest minimum while he was Head of State. His practical economic policies reduced inflation from 23 per cent to 4 per cent within 20 months and kept the Naira stronger than the Dollar with an exchange rate of N1 to $1.4. In 2002, Buhari founded a democratic and political movement — The Buhari Organisation, otherwise known as Project Nigeria, which introduced a new concept into Nigerian politics: Service to the people. His thirst for true service to Nigeria dragged him into government, as he registered as a member of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) In 2003, he emerged the presidential candidate of the ANPP and picked former Senate President, the late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo as his running mate. It was at the party’s national convention in Abuja that Okadigbo, who was also an ANPP presidential aspirant, made the statement that “it takes political sagacity to understand political arithmetic.” Buhari contested the presidential election in 2003 and lost to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2007, the ANPP was factionalised following the battle of supremacy among the major party stakeholders. Even at that, Buhari emerged the presidential candidate of the party in 2007 and he picked the late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke as his running mate. He lost the election to the late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of the PDP. Following the crisis that decimated the ANPP ahead of the 2011 general elections, Buhari and his supporters hurriedly founded the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). He said that he had supported the foundation of the CPC “as a solution to the debilitating, ethical and ideological conflicts in my former party, the ANPP.” Attempts by the opposition parties, namely — the ANPP, CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to merge before the 2011 general elections failed woefully. Thus, Buhari contested the 2011 presidential elections on the platform of the CPC and lost to President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, but not without a good fight, as he won election in 12 states and gathered over 12 million votes. Following the move for the merger of the major opposition parties — ANPP, ACN, CPC and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) — Buhari was among the major stakeholders that contributed to the establishment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — the first-ever successful political party merger in the history of the country since Independence. Ahead of the APC Third National Convention and Presidential Primaries held in Lagos between December 11 and 12, it was obvious to political observers that Buhari was the man to beat in the race. What counted for him is his perceived acceptability at the grassroots, and penchant for integrity and transparency — a virtue that is lacking in most Nigerian politicians today. Although he has no strong financial base, which is a major factor in politics, Buhari enjoys the support of the party governors and other major stakeholders, who saw him as the right choice for the party in the 2015 presidential elections. They worked tirelessly for his victory at the primaries and many believe that if the party leaders replicate the same feat in the presidential election, it may be difficult for the PDP to have an easy ride, if at all. No doubt, Buhari has always constituted the most potent and virile opposition to the ruling PDP in all the elections he contested, and came second to the candidate of PDP. This experience will be an advantage to him in 2015. In recognition of his numerous and enviable contributions towards the development of the country, Buhari has been conferred with a number of national and international awards. He is the recipient of the following: Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), Defence Service Medal (DSM), National Service Medal (NSM), General Service Medal (GSM), Loyal Service and Good Conduct Medal (LSGCM), Force Service Staff (FSS) and The Congo Medal (CD), among others. Buhari, a man with a high level of discipline, who shuns materialism, has zero tolerance for corruption. Hence, he beats his chest publicly that he has never stolen a kobo of public funds in all the positions he has occupied and challenged anyone, who has evidence to the contrary, to unveil so. Indeed, he is a man with a passion for selfless service, which he has promised to discharge to the good people of Nigeria if given the mandate in 2015.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 18:37:24 +0000
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