Muhammadu Buhari
7th Head of State of Nigeria
In office
December 31, 1983 – August 27, 1985
Preceded by Shehu Shagari
Succeeded by Ibrahim Babangida
Chairman Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation
In office
June 1978 – July 1978
Preceded by Shehu Shagari
Succeeded by Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida
Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and
Natural Resources
In office
March 1976 – June 1978
Preceded by Unknown
Succeeded by (Merged with NNOC to form
NNPC )[1]
Governor of North-Eastern State of Nigeria
In office
August 1975 – March 1976
Preceded by Musa Usman
Succeeded by None as State Became Defunct
Personal details
Born December 17, 1942 (age 70)
Katsina state , Nigeria
Nationality Nigerian
Political party Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC)
Religion Islam
Military service
Service/
branch
Nigerian Army
Years of
service
1962 - 1985
Rank Major General
Muhammadu Buhari (born December 17, 1942)
was a Major General in the Nigerian Army and a
former military ruler of Nigeria from December
31, 1983 to August 27, 1985. [2][3] The term
Buharism is ascribed to the Buhari military
government. [4][5] He also ran unsuccessfully
for the office of the President of Nigeria in the
2003 , 2007 and 2011 elections. His ethnic
background is Fulani , and his faith is Islam ; he
is a native of Daura in Katsina State of Nigeria.
Minister of Petroleum
Having joined the army in 1962, Buhari first
came to widespread public attention in 1976
when he became the Minister (or "Federal
Commissioner" for Petroleum and Natural
Resources under then- Head of State General
Olusegun Obasanjo. Before then he served as
Governor of the newly created North-Eastern
State during the regime of Murtala Mohammed .
He later became head of the newly created
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation[6] in
1977. [7]
Buhari military government
Major-General Buhari was selected to lead the
country by middle and high-ranking military
officers after a successful military coup d'etat
that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari
on December 31, 1983. At the time, Buhari was
head of the Third Armored Division of Jos . [8]
Buhari was appointed Head of State and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and
Tunde Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General
Staff (the de facto No. 2 in the administration).
Buhari justified the military's seizure of power
by castigating the civilian government as
hopelessly corrupt, and his administration
subsequently initiated a public campaign
against indiscipline known as "War Against
Indiscipline" (WAI). Aspects of this campaign
included public humiliation of civil servants who
arrived late for work whilst guards were armed
with whips to ensure orderly queues at bus
stops. [9]
He also moved to silence critics of his
administration, passing decrees curbing press
freedoms and allowing for opponents to be
detained up to three months without formal
charges. [10] He also banned strikes and
lockouts by workers [10] and founded Nigeria's
first secret police force, the National Security
Organization. [11] His government sentenced
popular musician and political critic Fela Kuti to
ten years in prison on charges that Amnesty
International denounced as fabricated and
politically motivated; [12] Kuti was later
pardoned and released by Buhari's successor.
[13] In another high-profile incident that
sparked a diplomatic incident with Britain,
British officials found Buhari's former
transportation minister drugged in a crate
marked for shipment to Lagos. [14]
According to the BBC, "Buhari's attempts to re-
balance public finances by curbing imports led
to many job losses and the closure of
businesses." [15] These losses were
accompanied by a rise in prices and a decline
in living standards. [15] Some may hold
contrary view to this assertion and call it
mischievous though, [16] because Buhari is
admired by many for his uprightness and stand
against corruption. His government is revered
for its ability to keep the country afloat by
making progress through sheer economic
ingenuity even when it rejected IMF loan and
refused to adopt IMF conditionalities to devalue
the Naira . [17] His government is praised for its
gain in reducing inflation by refusing to devalue
the nation's currency, the Nigerian Naira ,
curbing imports of needless goods, curtailing
oil theft and using counter trade policy to barter
seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful
goods like machineries, enabling it to export
above its OPEC quota. [2]
The economic principles and political ideology
of the Buhari military government is called
Buharism by some political and economic
writers and speakers. [5][4]
Cabinet Ministers
Buhari's Cabinet Ministers
OFFICE NAME TERM
Head of State Muhammadu
Buhari
1984–
1985
Chief of Staff Tunde Idiagbon 1984–
1985
Defense Domkat Bali 1984–
1985
Agriculture Bukar Shuaib 1984–
1985
Trade Mahmud Tukur 1984–
1985
Communications A Abdullahi, Lt
Col
1984–
1985
Education Yarima Ibrahim 1984–
1985
Finance Onaolapo
Soleye
1984–
1985
Abuja Mamman Jiya
Vatsa
1984–
1985
Health Emmanuel Nsan 1984–
1985
Internal Affairs Mohammed
Magoro
1984–
1985
Foreign Affairs Ibrahim
Gambari
1984–
1985
Minister of
Information
Sam Omeruah 1984–
1985
Transportation Abdullahi
Ibrahim
1984–
1985
Energy Tam David-
West 1984–
1985
Justice Chike Offodile 1984–
1985
Works Patrick Koshoni 1984–
1985
1985 coup and detention
In the face of the austerity measures, worsening
economic conditions, and continued widespread
corruption (this is questionable as corruption
was said to have been at its lowest ebb in the
Buhari/Idiagbon regime), Buhari was himself
overthrown in a coup led by General Ibrahim
Babangida and other members of the ruling
Supreme Military Council (SMC) on August 27,
1985. [18] Babangida brought many of Buhari's
most vocal critics into his administration,
including Fela Kuti's brother [Olukoye
Ransome-Kuti]], a doctor who had led a strike
against Buhari to protest declining health care
services. [13] Buhari was then detained in Benin
City until 1988. [13]
Buhari's admirers believe that he was
overthrown by corrupt elements in his
government who were afraid of being brought to
justice as his policies were beginning to yield
tangible dividends in terms of public discipline,
curbing corruption, lowering inflation,
enhancing workforce and improving
productivity. [19]
Later years
Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum
Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the
government of General Abacha, and funded from
the revenue generated by the increase in price
of petroleum products, to pursue developmental
projects around the country. A 1998 report in
New African praised the PTF under Buhari for its
transparency, calling it a rare "success story".
[20] However, the same report also noted that
critics had questioned the PTF's allocation of
20% of its resources to the military, which the
critics feared would not be accountable for the
revenue. [20]
In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential
election [21] as the candidate of the All Nigeria
People's Party (ANPP). He was defeated by the
People's Democratic Party nominee, President
Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, by a margin of more than
eleven million votes. It was claimed by Buhari's
supporters and other members of the
opposition that in some states, like Ebonyi ,
there were more votes than there were
registered voters. [22][23] Although some
allegations of fraud were proven in the courts
and the conduct of the election was criticized
by the Commonwealth Observer Group , [24] the
consensus among Nigerians was that he should
not waste his time in court as he did not have
the necessary resources to "buy" himself
justice [ citation needed ] . Eventually, the same
court also decided that the level of proven
electoral fraud was not sufficient to affect the
outcome of the election and to warrant the
cancellation of the whole Presidential
election. [ citation needed ]
On 18 December 2006, Gen. Buhari was
nominated as the consensus candidate of the
All Nigeria People's Party. His main challenger
in the April 2007 polls was the ruling PDP
candidate, Umaru Yar'Adua , who hailed from the
same home state of Katsina. In the election,
Buhari officially took 18% of the vote against
70% for Yar'Adua, but Buhari rejected these
results. [25] After Yar'Adua took office, the ANPP
agreed to join his government, but Buhari
denounced this agreement. [26]
In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a party
that he had helped to found. He said that he
had supported foundation of the CPC "as a
solution to the debilitating, ethical and
ideological conflicts in my former party the
ANPP". [27]
Buhari was the CPC Presidential candidate in
the 16 April 2011 general election, running
against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan
of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu of Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN), and Ibrahim Shekarau of ANPP. They
were the major contenders among 20
contestants. [28] He was running on an anti-
corruption platform and pledged to remove
immunity protections from government officials.
[14] He also gave support to enforcement of
Sharia law in Nigeria's northern states, which
had previously caused him political difficulties
among Christian voters in the country's south.
[9] However, he remains a "folk hero" to some
for his vocal opposition to corruption. [14]
Buhari won 12,214,853 votes, coming second
to the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan
of the PDP, who polled 22,495,187 votes and
was declared the winner. [29] Muhammadu Buhari
7th Head of State of Nigeria
In office
December 31, 1983 – August 27, 1985
Preceded by Shehu Shagari
Succeeded by Ibrahim Babangida
Chairman Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation
In office
June 1978 – July 1978
Preceded by Shehu Shagari
Succeeded by Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida
Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and
Natural Resources
In office
March 1976 – June 1978
Preceded by Unknown
Succeeded by (Merged with NNOC to form
NNPC )[1]
Governor of North-Eastern State of Nigeria
In office
August 1975 – March 1976
Preceded by Musa Usman
Succeeded by None as State Became Defunct
Personal details
Born December 17, 1942 (age 70)
Katsina state , Nigeria
Nationality Nigerian
Political party Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC)
Religion Islam
Military service
Service/
branch
Nigerian Army
Years of
service
1962 - 1985
Rank Major General
Muhammadu Buhari (born December 17, 1942)
was a Major General in the Nigerian Army and a
former military ruler of Nigeria from December
31, 1983 to August 27, 1985. [2][3] The term
Buharism is ascribed to the Buhari military
government. [4][5] He also ran unsuccessfully
for the office of the President of Nigeria in the
2003 , 2007 and 2011 elections. His ethnic
background is Fulani , and his faith is Islam ; he
is a native of Daura in Katsina State of Nigeria.
Minister of Petroleum
Having joined the army in 1962, Buhari first
came to widespread public attention in 1976
when he became the Minister (or "Federal
Commissioner" for Petroleum and Natural
Resources under then- Head of State General
Olusegun Obasanjo. Before then he served as
Governor of the newly created North-Eastern
State during the regime of Murtala Mohammed .
He later became head of the newly created
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation[6] in
1977. [7]
Buhari military government
Major-General Buhari was selected to lead the
country by middle and high-ranking military
officers after a successful military coup d'etat
that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari
on December 31, 1983. At the time, Buhari was
head of the Third Armored Division of Jos . [8]
Buhari was appointed Head of State and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and
Tunde Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General
Staff (the de facto No. 2 in the administration).
Buhari justified the military's seizure of power
by castigating the civilian government as
hopelessly corrupt, and his administration
subsequently initiated a public campaign
against indiscipline known as "War Against
Indiscipline" (WAI). Aspects of this campaign
included public humiliation of civil servants who
arrived late for work whilst guards were armed
with whips to ensure orderly queues at bus
stops. [9]
He also moved to silence critics of his
administration, passing decrees curbing press
freedoms and allowing for opponents to be
detained up to three months without formal
charges. [10] He also banned strikes and
lockouts by workers [10] and founded Nigeria's
first secret police force, the National Security
Organization. [11] His government sentenced
popular musician and political critic Fela Kuti to
ten years in prison on charges that Amnesty
International denounced as fabricated and
politically motivated; [12] Kuti was later
pardoned and released by Buhari's successor.
[13] In another high-profile incident that
sparked a diplomatic incident with Britain,
British officials found Buhari's former
transportation minister drugged in a crate
marked for shipment to Lagos. [14]
According to the BBC, "Buhari's attempts to re-
balance public finances by curbing imports led
to many job losses and the closure of
businesses." [15] These losses were
accompanied by a rise in prices and a decline
in living standards. [15] Some may hold
contrary view to this assertion and call it
mischievous though, [16] because Buhari is
admired by many for his uprightness and stand
against corruption. His government is revered
for its ability to keep the country afloat by
making progress through sheer economic
ingenuity even when it rejected IMF loan and
refused to adopt IMF conditionalities to devalue
the Naira . [17] His government is praised for its
gain in reducing inflation by refusing to devalue
the nation's currency, the Nigerian Naira ,
curbing imports of needless goods, curtailing
oil theft and using counter trade policy to barter
seized illegally bunkered crude oil for needful
goods like machineries, enabling it to export
above its OPEC quota. [2]
The economic principles and political ideology
of the Buhari military government is called
Buharism by some political and economic
writers and speakers. [5][4]
Cabinet Ministers
Buhari's Cabinet Ministers
OFFICE NAME TERM
Head of State Muhammadu
Buhari
1984–
1985
Chief of Staff Tunde Idiagbon 1984–
1985
Defense Domkat Bali 1984–
1985
Agriculture Bukar Shuaib 1984–
1985
Trade Mahmud Tukur 1984–
1985
Communications A Abdullahi, Lt
Col
1984–
1985
Education Yarima Ibrahim 1984–
1985
Finance Onaolapo
Soleye
1984–
1985
Abuja Mamman Jiya
Vatsa
1984–
1985
Health Emmanuel Nsan 1984–
1985
Internal Affairs Mohammed
Magoro
1984–
1985
Foreign Affairs Ibrahim
Gambari
1984–
1985
Minister of
Information
Sam Omeruah 1984–
1985
Transportation Abdullahi
Ibrahim
1984–
1985
Energy Tam David-
West 1984–
1985
Justice Chike Offodile 1984–
1985
Works Patrick Koshoni 1984–
1985
1985 coup and detention
In the face of the austerity measures, worsening
economic conditions, and continued widespread
corruption (this is questionable as corruption
was said to have been at its lowest ebb in the
Buhari/Idiagbon regime), Buhari was himself
overthrown in a coup led by General Ibrahim
Babangida and other members of the ruling
Supreme Military Council (SMC) on August 27,
1985. [18] Babangida brought many of Buhari's
most vocal critics into his administration,
including Fela Kuti's brother [Olukoye
Ransome-Kuti]], a doctor who had led a strike
against Buhari to protest declining health care
services. [13] Buhari was then detained in Benin
City until 1988. [13]
Buhari's admirers believe that he was
overthrown by corrupt elements in his
government who were afraid of being brought to
justice as his policies were beginning to yield
tangible dividends in terms of public discipline,
curbing corruption, lowering inflation,
enhancing workforce and improving
productivity. [19]
Later years
Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum
Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the
government of General Abacha, and funded from
the revenue generated by the increase in price
of petroleum products, to pursue developmental
projects around the country. A 1998 report in
New African praised the PTF under Buhari for its
transparency, calling it a rare "success story".
[20] However, the same report also noted that
critics had questioned the PTF's allocation of
20% of its resources to the military, which the
critics feared would not be accountable for the
revenue. [20]
In 2003, Buhari contested the presidential
election [21] as the candidate of the All Nigeria
People's Party (ANPP). He was defeated by the
People's Democratic Party nominee, President
Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, by a margin of more than
eleven million votes. It was claimed by Buhari's
supporters and other members of the
opposition that in some states, like Ebonyi ,
there were more votes than there were
registered voters. [22][23] Although some
allegations of fraud were proven in the courts
and the conduct of the election was criticized
by the Commonwealth Observer Group , [24] the
consensus among Nigerians was that he should
not waste his time in court as he did not have
the necessary resources to "buy" himself
justice [ citation needed ] . Eventually, the same
court also decided that the level of proven
electoral fraud was not sufficient to affect the
outcome of the election and to warrant the
cancellation of the whole Presidential
election. [ citation needed ]
On 18 December 2006, Gen. Buhari was
nominated as the consensus candidate of the
All Nigeria People's Party. His main challenger
in the April 2007 polls was the ruling PDP
candidate, Umaru Yar'Adua , who hailed from the
same home state of Katsina. In the election,
Buhari officially took 18% of the vote against
70% for Yar'Adua, but Buhari rejected these
results. [25] After Yar'Adua took office, the ANPP
agreed to join his government, but Buhari
denounced this agreement. [26]
In March 2010, Buhari left the ANPP for the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a party
that he had helped to found. He said that he
had supported foundation of the CPC "as a
solution to the debilitating, ethical and
ideological conflicts in my former party the
ANPP". [27]
Buhari was the CPC Presidential candidate in
the 16 April 2011 general election, running
against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan
of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu of Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN), and Ibrahim Shekarau of ANPP. They
were the major contenders among 20
contestants. [28] He was running on an anti-
corruption platform and pledged to remove
immunity protections from government officials.
[14] He also gave support to enforcement of
Sharia law in Nigeria's northern states, which
had previously caused him political difficulties
among Christian voters in the country's south.
[9] However, he remains a "folk hero" to some
for his vocal opposition to corruption. [14]
Buhari won 12,214,853 votes, coming second
to the incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan
of the PDP, who polled 22,495,187 votes and
was declared the winner. [29]

Wow! Gen. Buhari(I like him)

he might not be the ultimate hero that Nigeria is looking for, but he has alot to offer