Halima Buhari, daughter of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has offered rare insight into the private life of her late father, revealing that he was fully aware of public criticism and the disappointment felt by many Nigerians over his administration.
She made the disclosure on Wednesday, December 17, during the presentation of a book authored by former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, according to the Nigerian Tribune.
Speaking before an audience that included former ministers, ex-governors, traditional rulers and political party chieftains, Halima said her father understood that many Nigerians who had placed immense hope in his leadership – particularly on security and economic recovery – felt let down by his performance in office.
Reflecting on the burdens of leadership, she said Buhari often grappled with the difficult realities of governing a complex country like Nigeria, where expectations frequently clash with practical limitations.
“Behind every soundbite, there was a human being; sometimes tired, sometimes determined, sometimes frustrated, always painfully aware that his decisions impacted millions of lives,”
“That human being was our father. I saw a side of him that never appeared on television and was rarely captured in print.”
“I saw the man who would sit quietly, listening more than he spoke. The man who worried about the security of ordinary people. The man who agonised over the gap between what was promised and what was possible,”
“For the public, he was President Buhari. For us at home, he was simply ‘Baba.’”
She noted that leadership, especially in Nigeria, is rarely straightforward and often involves difficult compromises.
“Leadership, especially in a country as complex as Nigeria, is never as straightforward as it looks from the outside,” she said. “It involves trade-offs, compromises, and very often, imperfect choices.”
According to her, the former president was neither insulated from criticism nor dismissive of opposing views.
“My father was not unaware of the criticism levelled against him. He knew that many Nigerians felt that more would have been done or done differently,” she said.
“He heard the voices of those who were disappointed, just as he heard the gratitude of those who felt their lives had improved.”
Halima stressed that the occasion was not intended to reshape or sanitise her father’s legacy, noting that debate over his years in office remains a healthy part of democratic discourse.
“Our presence here today is not to rewrite that history or to insist on a single interpretation of his years in office,” she said. “Nigerians will continue to debate his legacy as they should in a vibrant democracy.”
She added that varying accounts of Buhari’s presidency would continue to emerge.
“There will be books that praise, books that criticise, and books that will try to document,” she said.
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Speaking before an audience that included former ministers, ex-governors, traditional rulers and political party chieftains, Halima said her father understood that many Nigerians who had placed immense hope in his leadership – particularly on security and economic recovery – felt let down by his performance in office.
Reflecting on the burdens of leadership, she said Buhari often grappled with the difficult realities of governing a complex country like Nigeria, where expectations frequently clash with practical limitations.
“Behind every soundbite, there was a human being; sometimes tired, sometimes determined, sometimes frustrated, always painfully aware that his decisions impacted millions of lives,”
“That human being was our father. I saw a side of him that never appeared on television and was rarely captured in print.”
“I saw the man who would sit quietly, listening more than he spoke. The man who worried about the security of ordinary people. The man who agonised over the gap between what was promised and what was possible,”
“For the public, he was President Buhari. For us at home, he was simply ‘Baba.’”
She noted that leadership, especially in Nigeria, is rarely straightforward and often involves difficult compromises.
“Leadership, especially in a country as complex as Nigeria, is never as straightforward as it looks from the outside,” she said. “It involves trade-offs, compromises, and very often, imperfect choices.”
According to her, the former president was neither insulated from criticism nor dismissive of opposing views.
“My father was not unaware of the criticism levelled against him. He knew that many Nigerians felt that more would have been done or done differently,” she said.
“He heard the voices of those who were disappointed, just as he heard the gratitude of those who felt their lives had improved.”
Halima stressed that the occasion was not intended to reshape or sanitise her father’s legacy, noting that debate over his years in office remains a healthy part of democratic discourse.
“Our presence here today is not to rewrite that history or to insist on a single interpretation of his years in office,” she said. “Nigerians will continue to debate his legacy as they should in a vibrant democracy.”
She added that varying accounts of Buhari’s presidency would continue to emerge.
“There will be books that praise, books that criticise, and books that will try to document,” she said.
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Mtcheew
ReplyDeleteBuhari has gone to face his maker and give account. LIFE and POWER are FLEETING!
Delete1. Buhari LIED to Nigerians that he would only do one term of 4 years as president. Then, he made a VOLTE-FACE and spread 8 fingers for a 2nd term to the citizens in campaign alongside the former VP, Professor Osinbajo and his APC cronies plus your mother.
2. Buhari KNEW Nigeria had a wide ethno-religious diversity and that he was not competent to handle this as president yet he WILFULLY CONTESTED Presidential elections four times! Buhari had been a military Head of State in 1983
3. Buhari never cleared the air on who brought and armed the Fulani militants into the country during 2015 elections despite El-Rufai's claims that they know and met with them , offering them monetary incentives.
4. Buhari filled his presidential cabinet with his relatives and kinsmen who ran his administration to the detriment of the country's economy and citizens welfare. Your own mother publicly cried out against this.
5. Buhari did not fight corruption as was his campaign promise to '"put corrupt government officials in jail".
6. To buttress No.5, Buhari paid out N2.5bn as retirement benefits to the former CJN, Justice Tanko Ibrahim amidst corruption and corrupt practices leveled against him by the Judiciary.
🚩Please, remind us what the retirement benefits for CJNs and Justices of the Supreme Court are/were before that payout.
7. Buhari openly made inciting tribalism remarks on public platforms, locally and internationally.
8. Buhari never probed the aviation Minister, and kinsmen Hadi Sirika who squandered billions on a *phantom* NIGERIA AIR 👻 launched with hired Eth0pian aircraft camouflaged in Nigerian national colours 🇳🇬 . The same Hadi Sirika was accused of the anti-grafts agency for awarding contracts to his daughter and son-inlaw (insider abuse) and he also built a palace for himself in his home state while serving as the aviation Minister.
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The list of Buhari's incompetency and failures as president of from 2015 to 2023 is ENDLESS.
Rabbish
ReplyDeleteWe are more than disappointed
ReplyDeleteNot only disappointed but we were totally disgusted!!!
ReplyDelete🙄
ReplyDeletePlease what is lapte? 🤔
ReplyDeleteThis man enjoys the mercies of death and short memories .
ReplyDeleteAnyone aspiring to high office should not be lead by their ego, but by an authentic desire to make a true difference in transforming a nation and its people. It is incredibly sad that innumerable African leaders have fallen short and continue to fall short of leaving a noble legacy. Thankfully, we are finally seeing leaders who are doing transformative work and who believe in their big dreams and are achieving great feats. It takes a visionary to create, and too often an elderly leader neither has the stamina nor the foresight to be a visionary leader. What is the point of dying with a dishonorable name and leaving behind distasteful memories in hundreds of millions of people.
ReplyDeleteYour father could have just done his farming and go on about his life. The family name is not held in any esteem, and it appears many just want to forget his existence, nobody needs to reminded of unhappy memories.
Should have left after 4 years but he stayed there for 8 bad years enjoying his good life to the detriment of citizens. Mr. Integrity my left foot. Went in like disheveled cucumber and came out looking like a fresh pinklady apple. Mugu!!!
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