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[OPINION] Buhari: A Tale Of Two Deaths

Published

1 month ago

July 21, 2025

By Lasisi Olagunju

June 2015, freshly minted President Muhammadu Buhari hosted General Olusegun Obasanjo at the Villa.

“Whatever anyone might have done to you in the past, please forgive and forget,” Obasanjo advised the new president. Buhari looked up, surprised. His countenance changed.

“Including Ibro?”

“Yes, especially Ibro,” Obasanjo answered very quickly and curtly. The two leaders exchanged glances.

Silence.

The ‘Ibro’ in that discussion is General Ibrahim Babangida. The question on whether Ibro should be forgiven was a surprise to Obasanjo because twice, Buhari was in IBB’s home seeking his endorsement ahead of the 2015 election. And his host supported him all through, publicly.

But there was no overt commitment to ‘peace’ from the new president. Old soldiers they were, host and guest quickly drifted to other issues. The meeting ended.

The event I reported above happened. It was one of the earliest signs in Nigeria’s power circle that the new man had come to power to do more than governance. I got the gist a few days after the Villa meeting. And, I asked the source what Babangida’s reaction would be if he heard that conversation. Or was he aware of it already? My source smiled and said “Of course. But, you know he is a veteran in such intrigues.”

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: For Ganduje And Kabiyesi

For the eight years of Buhari, the journalist in me patiently looked forward to how he would take his pound of flesh from IBB for toppling him in 1985. I was aware that IBB also was on the alert. I was told that Buhari really wanted to take on Ibro. “He was told that he would need more than two terms to fight that war. He got the hint and backed off.” My source told me.

Babangida is very lucky to have outlived Buhari and his regime. President Shehu Shagari, the man Buhari toppled in December 1983, was not that lucky. He was president for four years and three months. He died in December 2018, right into the mouth of Buhari’s awesome powers as president. A State House press statement mourned the dead but that was where it ended. President Buhari stayed away from Shagari’s burial and made sure the dead president enjoyed no state burial. It was Buhari’s second December coup against Shagari.

Last week, Shagari’s grandson, Nura Muhammad Mahe, reacted to Buhari’s death with a caustic press release. He said the very expressive state burial honour which President Bola Tinubu gave Buhari was “in sharp contrast to how my grandfather, President Shehu Shagari, was treated during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.” Muhammed Mahe recalled that upon Shagari’s death on 28 December, 2018, “Buhari neither attended the funeral nor approved a state burial, despite being in the country at the time.” The man said “it was a painful experience for the Shagari family and many Nigerians who expected more honour for a man who served as Nigeria’s first Executive President…Even in death, Buhari failed to show due respect to his predecessor.”

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Probably under pressure, Buhari visited the Shagari family a day after the burial and signed the condolence register. When he left, journalists who wanted to feast on what he wrote in the register met nothing in there. It was a blank page. Was that an error or a fulfillment of a pledge to dishonour the dead?

Whether you overthrew the man as IBB did, or he overthrew you as he did Shagari, he believed he was your victim and considered you an enemy till he breathed his last breath in London on Sunday. I read IBB’s beautiful tribute in honour of Buhari. The Minna-uphill General is lucky that he lived through the Buhari years. If he had gone when Buhari was president, it is almost certain that there would not have been such positive review from Daura. The Shagari treatment would be certain. It would be worse. Friends would be afraid to ‘show face’ in Minna because Mr President would have kept a register of mourners for the appropriate punishment.

Niccollo Machiavelli warns that a leader can “make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth.” Buhari made both and got away with them. Muhammadu Buhari’s engagement with Nigeria is a study in entitlement. The textbook meaning of entitlement mentality is to believe that you deserve the best from your people while giving back far less than was required of you. Buhari represented that forever in our history. And it wasn’t his fault. Very literate, knowledgeable people openly said our country owed the old soldier power; they said we owed him reverence and accolades; they put unquestioning loyalty as the icing on his cake. For 30 years, Nigerians Earnestly Yearned for Buhari. He came, and he failed. When he was exiting power, he warned us never to attempt asking him questions: “Nobody should ask me to come and give any evidence in any court, otherwise, whoever it is would be in trouble because all important things are on record.” He threatened us in January 2022, and we complied and bought padlocks for the laws he broke. Who born Nigeria and Nigerians!

The gentleman officer was a beautiful snake who carefully positioned himself as the gift the nation had been waiting for. Physician Buhari donated himself to Nigeria and the nation bled from all the orifices: from the nose, from the ear, the mouth, etc. Under his watch, life got tragically devalued. For eight years he added nothing of value to the lives of ordinary Nigerians. He instead took from many their food; and from many more their lives through unremitting insecurity. As peace progressively turned ashen, the man who swore to protect us sat back, belched, picked his busy teeth and demanded appreciation from all of us for graciously failing us. We paid him that debt of gratitude last week with the fairy tale celebration in Daura and a national holiday declared by Abuja. He was the luckiest leader the nation has ever served.

Instead of checking the dictionary meaning of inertia, just open the book of blank pages called Buhari. He was absent for eight years even for his 12 million children in the North. The North-West was healthy before he came; he left it gasping for life. Where the president’s voice was needed, Buhari planted silence and watered it with absence. He never cared; he was a leader for whom mere presence in office was enough achievement.

Everything Buhari denied others, he got from others, even when he didn’t deserve such. Tinubu gave him every support possible for him to be president and he became president. When it was Tinubu’s turn to contest for the presidency, the General he exhumed from political retirement in Daura denied him every support at his disposal. Buhari escaped every bad treatment he gave others, even when he deserved it. Apart from Sani Abacha, whom he served diligently, no other leader since 1979 got Buhari’s respect. Yet, the living among them – all of them – last week used words which you and I know were hyperbolic untruths to bury him. He was Nigeria’s most successful charmer.

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FG Unveils Revised Curriculum For Basic, Secondary, Technical Education

Published

9 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad

The Federal Government said it completed a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary and technical education aimed to make Nigerian learners “future-ready.”

The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed on Friday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.

Folasade said the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad announced the curriculum on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, while speaking in Abuja.

According to the minister, the review was carried out in collaboration with key education stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.

The new framework is designed to reduce content overload, improve learning outcomes, and ensure Nigerian students are equipped with skills relevant to today’s global demands.

Prof. Ahmad said the exercise went beyond merely trimming subjects, stressing it focused on improving content to promote deeper learning and reduce overload for pupils and students.

“Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects; pupils in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects. Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine subjects, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” the statement read.

“The revised curricula will reduce content overload and create more learning time for students,” Prof. Ahmad said, adding that the changes reflect the government’s commitment to delivering quality, practical and relevant education in a rapidly changing world.

The Ministry of Education commended stakeholders for their role in the review and said implementation will be accompanied by strict monitoring to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide.

The ministry did not give an exact date for rollout, but said the new curricula will be phased in with oversight from relevant agencies to guarantee effective adoption.

News

Over 23,000 People Still Missing In Nigeria — ICRC

Published

10 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 23,659 people remain missing in Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families in anguish, most of them women struggling with uncertainty and hardship.

Protection of Family Links Team Leader of ICRC in Damaturu, Mr Ishaku Luka, disclosed this on Sunday during activities to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

He said 68 per cent of those still searching for answers were women, while 59 per cent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance.

According to him, Yobe State alone accounts for 2,500 cases, the majority recorded in Gujba Local Government Area.

“Behind every missing person is a family living in pain, uncertainty, and economic difficulty.

“The anguish is compounded by legal, administrative, and psychosocial challenges. These families deserve acknowledgement, care and support,” Luka said.

He explained that the issue of missing persons was one of the most devastating consequences of armed conflicts, disasters, and migration.

He urged parties to conflicts, authorities, and communities to take greater responsibility in preventing disappearances.

Sharing ICRC’s interventions, Luka said by June 30, the organisation had collected 451 new cases in Nigeria, and closed 515 cases.

Luka added that the organisation had facilitated the reunification of seven separated children with their families.

“Every day, worldwide, we help reunite 20 people with their families. Every hour, we help clarify the fate of two missing people. Every minute, we help four separated persons contact their loved ones,” he added.

Head of ICRC Sub-delegation in Damaturu, Mr Rashid Hassan, said families of the missing should not be left alone in their struggles.

“Time does not heal. Acknowledgement, answers and respect do. Families must know that their loved ones are not forgotten and their demands are heard,” Hassan stressed.

He said the ICRC, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), had provided mental health and psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and orientation programmes for families of missing persons in Borno and Adamawa states.

Hassan urged authorities to fulfill their obligations by clarifying the fate of missing persons, protecting the dignity of the dead, and addressing the economic and social needs of the affected families.

He also called on society to show solidarity, avoid stigmatisation, and support the resilience of families searching for answers.

Globally, Hassan said, more than 94,000 people were newly registered as missing in 2024, bringing the total to 284,400.

He stressed, however, that the figure represented only a fraction of the real number.

“As we commemorate this day, we renew our commitment to advocate for the rights of the disappeared and to push for continuous efforts in searching for answers.

“No family should live with the torment of uncertainty,” Hassan said.

(NAN)

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Ex-TVC’s ‘Your View Host,’ Afolabi-Brown, Admits Ignorance In Past Criticism Of Peter Obi

Published

10 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

… narratives how she once considered suicide

Former Your View host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, has said her past remarks about former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, were made without knowing much about him or his record in office.

The veteran media personality, in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, explained that her comments on the Labour Party presidential candidate at the time were not based on personal familiarity with his record.

“It was because I did not know him. After I made that comment, people called me and said, ‘Morayo, do you realise that when he was governor, he actually served us?’

“So that was him. I said, ‘Oh, I did not know,’” she said.

The broadcaster also opened up about her battle with depression, recalling how she once considered taking her own life.

“I was depressed. It got so bad that I thought I was suicidal. I just left everything behind.

“I remember just walking on the express, hoping a car would hit me. It was that bad,” she revealed.

Afolabi-Brown explained that she decided to step away from Your View after the show’s tenth anniversary, saying she had long harboured the thought of moving on.

“It was when we were 10 years old that I knew it was time to move on to the next thing.

“I’ve been harbouring that thought for a while, but I just didn’t know to what or where, you know.

“But I think last year, I got that light bulb moment,” she said.

Brown further narrated how she was sacked from TVC until her identity became known to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“People now call Asiwaju, ‘Do you know whose child was sacked?’ He said, ‘I’m not aware.’

“He said, ‘This is the Alao Aka-Bashorun’s daughter. That’s when he knew it was me,” she recalled.

On controversies during her career, she revisited the uproar that trailed an on-air interview in which she was accused of calling her husband a pedophile.

According to her, the First Lady’s intervention helped her make peace and publicly apologise.

Her exit from Your View, she noted, marked the end of her 12-year journey on the breakfast show.