The nation bid farewell to Buhari with army honours and honorific chants of ‘Sai Baba’.
Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari was buried within the yard of his dwelling in Daura, a city within the northern Katsina state, as supporters climbed bushes and shouted “Sai Baba” to bid farewell to the 82-year-old.
A army parade and 21-gun salute honoured the previous president on Tuesday on the airport earlier than his physique was transported 80km (50 miles) to Daura, the place crowds surged to catch a remaining glimpse because the casket was lowered into the bottom.
Buhari died on Sunday in a London hospital following an undisclosed sickness. His coffin, wrapped in Nigeria’s inexperienced and white flag, was flown into Katsina and met by President Bola Tinubu, senior authorities officers, and mourners.
Buhari, who first seized energy in a 1983 army coup and dominated for lower than two years, returned to steer Africa’s most populous nation as a civilian after defeating Goodluck Jonathan within the 2015 presidential election. He served two phrases till stepping down in 2023.
President Tinubu declared seven days of nationwide mourning and a public vacation to honour Buhari’s legacy.
Whereas Buhari’s presidency noticed some achievements in infrastructure and anti-corruption efforts, his time in workplace was additionally marked by financial downturns, worsening insecurity, and a protracted disaster in Nigeria’s oil sector.
Nonetheless, many in northern Nigeria considered him as a principled and austere chief who tried to steer the nation by way of turbulent instances.
Supporters, some in tears, chanted because the casket disappeared from view, marking the top of an period for a person each revered and criticised.
Buhari leaves behind a combined legacy
Recognized for his austere type and fiery rhetoric towards corruption, Buhari was seen by his supporters as a reformer. “I belong to everyone and I belong to no person,” he typically declared, searching for to place himself above Nigeria’s entrenched political factions.
But his presidency struggled to include rising insecurity. Whereas he promised to defeat Boko Haram and restore order, armed violence unfold far past the northeast. Gunmen, separatists, and felony teams operated with impunity throughout massive components of the nation by the top of his tenure.
Nonetheless, Buhari leaves behind a legacy as an emblem of democratic change in Nigeria, even when the transformation he promised remained incomplete.
Chatting with Al Jazeera from London following Buhari’s demise over the weekend, Alexis Akwagyiram, managing editor at Semafor Africa and a longtime observer of Nigerian politics, mentioned Buhari can be remembered for attaining what many thought unattainable: profitable energy as an opposition candidate.
“He was the primary opposition candidate because the return to civilian rule to win on the poll field,” Akwagyiram mentioned, referencing Buhari’s 2015 victory over Jonathan. “Historical past will keep in mind him favourably for that.”
But Akwagyiram was blunt concerning the failings that marked Buhari’s time in workplace. He described the previous common as “very ineffective” in managing Nigeria’s economic system, citing his insistence on sustaining a robust naira, which led to a convoluted system of a number of change charges and two recessions throughout his tenure.
Regardless of the criticisms, Akwagyiram highlighted why Buhari resonated so strongly with many Nigerians. “He had the non-public model of integrity and honesty,” he mentioned. “In a political local weather famend for corruption, that was interesting.”
Buhari’s austere picture and northern assist base helped him construct a nationwide coalition that twice propelled him to the presidency, a uncommon feat in Nigerian politics.
“He didn’t attempt to enrich himself,” Akwagyiram mentioned. “That’s one thing historical past will look on favourably.”