Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s former president passes away

Muhammadu Buhari, a former Nigerian military ruler who went on to become the nation’s first opposition candidate to win a presidential election, has died. He was 82.

Buhari died on Sunday afternoon at a clinic in London, his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement, citing his family. He didn’t provide further details.

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During his presidency, Buhari struggled to tackle endemic poverty and unemployment in Africa’s most-populous nation, or counter widespread insecurity and a spate of kidnappings. He also battled to diversify the economy away from oil, which accounts for the vast majority of Nigeria’s foreign-exchange earnings.

The economy dipped into recession twice within four years during his tenure and Nigerians grew poorer and less secure by nearly ever measure. The World Bank estimates Nigeria has one of the highest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world.

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Buhari stepped down in May 2023, at the end of his second elected four-year term, and was replaced by Bola Tinubu.

After stepping down, he retired to his hometown of Daura, where he kept cattle, and maintained a low public profile.

He married his wife Aisha Buhari in 1989 and they had five children. He had another two children with his first wife, Safinatu Yusuf, who died in 1990.

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