Reechoing footprints: Buhari’s biographies detail his strides in transforming Nigeria

By Egena Sunday Ode

One year into his presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari was showcased to the world in a biography written by an American Professor, John Paden. Titled “Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria,” the book provides an up-close look at the life of a major ally of the West in the fight against terrorism, poverty, and corruption. It covers Buhari’s early life and education, his military career, and his brief stint as military head of state before he was deposed in a coup. A beacon for democracy in Africa, Buhari is the only Nigerian opposition candidate to be elected to the presidency.
Examining the first year of his presidency, the book which was presented to the public on October 3, 2016 looks at the immense security, economic, and political challenges he faces and the bold moves he is making to tackle them with support at home and abroad.
And by coincidence of some sort, Buhari on whose two-term presidency the curtain would be drawn in another few days was brought back on stage last week with two captivating biographies that ostensibly measured how well he has tackled the multifarious leadership challenges encountered in the course of his presidency as projected by Paden.
The two books; “State of Repair: How Muhammadu Buhari Tried to Change Nigeria for Good”, written by Antony Goldman and “The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari”, written by Senator Abu Ibrahim, as reviewed by the former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Professor Abubakar Sadeeque Abba respectively did not leave the audience in doubt that the President, despite the odds, has justified the eight-year mandate excitedly given to him by the Nigerian electorate.
The first biography, “State of Repair: How Muhammadu Buhari Tried to Change Nigeria for Good,” authored by Goldman, a seasoned political risk specialist with deep roots in Africa, offers a candid and critical examination of Buhari’s ambitious attempts at reform. With a wealth of experience in advising the private sector across Africa, Goldman’s incisive analysis unveils the challenges faced by Buhari’s administration and the concerted efforts made to combat terrorism, poverty, and corruption.
Senator Abu Ibrahim, a trusted confidant and long-time ally of President Buhari, contributed the second biography, aptly titled “The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari.” Ibrahim, whose journey intertwines with Buhari’s through various political landscapes, provides a unique perspective on the President’s leadership style and his resolute commitment to Nigeria’s progress. Ibrahim’s account paints a vivid picture of a man who weathered storms and surmounted obstacles to leave an indelible mark on the nation’s history.
Accordingly, the excitement that President Buhari has matched his words with action in terms of his pledge to leave the country better than he met it triggered a deluge of encomius in a grand ceremony where the two books were unveiled last Friday at the Conference Centre in the State House, Abuja.
The event, graced by dignitaries from around the world, showcased the impact of Buhari’s tenure on Nigeria and elicited widespread admiration for his unwavering commitment to transforming the nation.
Speaking as Chairman of the Occasion at the Public Presentation and Launch of two biographies with emphasis on the unrivaled leadership experience of President Buhari, President Akufo-Addo, opened the floodgate of eulogies when he assured his Nigerian counterpart that history will be kind to him.
The Ghanaian President took time in his opening ralemarks to highlight some of the achievements of Buhari, whom he noted shared a similar experience with him in the journey to the presidency, noting that Africa and indeed, the world will miss Buhari’s leadership when he exits office in a few days.
Akufo-Addo, while eulogizing President Buhari for providing model leadership for Nigeria and other regional and international organizations that he had been tasked to lead, particularly noted how he tamed the Boko Haram menace in the subregion.
“Likewise, through the launch of today’s biographies, the story of President Muhammadu Buhari, a man who made such a great effort to change Nigeria for good, is being told by those who’ve had the opportunity to see for themselves at firsthand, from the beginning of his mandate as a democratically elected president, to his last days in office, the highs and lows of his tenure thus far. From what I have read and know, the life of Muhammadu Buhari has been truly an amazing story.
“The work President Buhari has done in helping to diversify Nigeria’s agriculture and thereby enhancing significantly agricultural productivity, reviving the economy and ensuring consistently fast rates of growth. These developments, for me, have vindicated the choice of Nigerians, which I believe enabled continuity in office for the APC, through President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“You can imagine the excitement in the ranks of the NPP with the victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, about the prospects of a third term agenda for the NPP, what we in NPP call ‘breaking the eight’.
“By the same token, the efforts President Buhari has made to defeat the scourge of Boko Haram, a process which is still ongoing are also testimonies of his determination to establish full normalcy and security in Nigeria.
“His tentacles extended beyond Nigeria; Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS; Chairperson of the Gulf of Guinea Commission; ECOWAS Chairman in the
coordination of the fight against COVID-19, amongst several others, and in all of these, he has spared no effort to ensure the successful execution of the objectives of his office.
“As leaders, we all have our high and low moments, but I have no doubt that posterity will be kind to Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Buhari, we will miss you. West Africa, Africa, and indeed, the world will miss your leadership, the leadership of a military ruler, turned consummate democrat, who’s extremely solicitous of Nigerian and African interests and who sought for principles in all decisions which he took.
“I’m yet to have a book written about me, let alone author one myself. I have some 19 months to leave office and I guess I have to take a cue from my senior and hope the books will give about me”, he said.
Speaker after speaker at the ceremonial lauch followed the footsteps of President Akufo-Addo with kind words for Nigeria’s departing President for his enormous transformative work.
Then came the naira rain which highlighted the grand event, with over N500 million raised. Notably, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA Group, donated N200 million, while Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, contributed N100 mimillion.
Similarly, Philanthropist Muhammed Idimi displayed his support by purchasing copies of the books for a whopping N100 million. The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, demonstrated their deep appreciation for President Buhari’s transformative leadership by collectively acquiring copies of the biographies for N40 million.
Besides the philanthropists, the array of dignitaries who graced the occasion in express support and admiration of President Buhari included the Vice-President-elect, Senator Shettima, President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan; Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu; Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu and many others.
President Buhari’s administration can be assessed on three major criteria: the impacts he has made in tackling the Boko Haram menace, the fight against corruption and redeeming the nation’s economy, the tripod of his electioneering promises.
The authors of his two rrecentinaightful biographies all agreed that the President has, indeed, surpassed the expectations of his opposers, even though they would not publicly admit that. That is, however, not to say that there’s no room for improvement in some of the areas of his accomplishments. Nevertheless, many citizens will join the Ghanaian President to tell Buhari next week that history would not forget him, as he finally bows out of power.
Nigerians will also agree with the authors of Buhari’s biographies that he has substantially tamed insecurity signposted by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, Herder-farmer clashes in North-Central and the various level of criminalities such as kidnapping and killings bedeviling other parts of the country.
There’s also no arguments that President Buhari in his eight years in power has taken the war against corruption to an enviable level, caughting the admiration of his peers across the globe. Though corrupt practices have not been completely eradicated in the country, perpetrators of corruption, especially in public offices do know that a new Sheriff had come to town, as many of them were ran out of town in the past eight years.
And perhaps, the President’s most impactful achievement is in agriculture. This is one sector that has experienced a total revolution engendered by the diversification policy of the Buhari aadministration.The biographies captured all these exciting moments that characterised the “Change Agenda” and the “Next Level” slogan of the Buhari administration.
The question, however, is what next after Buhari. Will the revolution in infrastructure and agriculture among others continue?