DAURA, Nigeria (BN24) — Nigeria honoured former President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday with a state burial steeped in military ceremony, heartfelt chants of “Sai Baba,” and the quiet solemnity of a leader laid to rest in the backyard of his ancestral home.
Buhari, who died Sunday at age 82 in a London hospital after an undisclosed illness, was interred in Daura, the northern Katsina state town where he was born. His coffin, draped in Nigeria’s green and white flag, arrived by military aircraft and was received by President Bola Tinubu, senior officials, and hundreds of mourners.
A 21-gun salute thundered across the tarmac as a military parade paid final respects before the casket was driven 80 kilometers (50 miles) to Daura. There, throngs of supporters climbed trees and pressed against barricades for one last glimpse as the casket was lowered into the earth.
President Tinubu declared seven days of national mourning and a public holiday to commemorate Buhari’s legacy.
Buhari first seized power in a 1983 military coup, ruling for less than two years before being ousted. More than three decades later, he returned as a civilian politician, defeating incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 to become the first opposition candidate to win Nigeria’s presidency through the ballot box. He served two terms until stepping down in 2023.
While Buhari was celebrated by supporters as an austere leader who fought corruption and invested in infrastructure, his presidency was overshadowed by economic turmoil, widespread insecurity, and a deepening crisis in the oil sector.
Supporters at the burial site, some weeping, hailed him as a man who tried to guide Nigeria through turbulent times. “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,” Buhari often declared, cultivating an image as a principled figure above entrenched political factions.
But despite promises to restore security, violence spread far beyond Boko Haram’s insurgency in the northeast. Armed groups and criminal gangs extended their reach across large parts of the country, underscoring the limits of Buhari’s authority.
Speaking to Al Jazeera after Buhari’s death, Alexis Akwagyiram, managing editor of Semafor Africa and a longtime observer of Nigerian politics, said the former president will be remembered most for breaking Nigeria’s political mold.
“He was the first opposition candidate since the return to civilian rule to win at the ballot box,” Akwagyiram said. “History will remember him favourably for that.”
Yet Buhari’s economic stewardship drew criticism. His determination to prop up the naira led to multiple exchange rates and two recessions, which many economists blamed on policy missteps.
Still, Akwagyiram noted that Buhari’s image as a leader untainted by personal scandal resonated with Nigerians weary of corruption.
“He had the personal brand of integrity and honesty,” he said. “In a political climate renowned for graft, that was appealing. He didn’t try to enrich himself—that’s something history will look on favourably.”
As the chants of “Sai Baba” echoed across Daura and the last spadefuls of earth were thrown, Nigerians bid farewell to a leader whose legacy—like the nation itself—remains both complicated and unfinished.
