As it is always said, leadership is not about titles,
positions or flowcharts but about one’s life
influencing another and Buhari is one of those
great Nigerian born leaders whose life has
influenced many Nigerians either positively or
negatively. We all know that there are qualities
that distinguish an individual as a leader, whether
he has these qualities or not is not for us to say.
However, he remains a “folk hero” to some for his
vocal opposition to corruption. With the prying
eyes of media always on him as he has gained for
himself that special spotlight, we bring the
present day generation some fascinating facts you
may not really know about General Buhari.
Below Are Facts About Buhari You May Not Have
Heard Before:
Birth:
Major-General Buhari was born on the 17th of
December 1942 in Katsina state, Nigeria.
Early Politics:
Major-General Buhari had been Governor of one of
Northern states under Obasanjo Military
Government as well as minister for petroleum
before being the military head of state. He also
ran unsuccessfully for the office of the President
of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections.
In 1983, Major-General Buhari and Major-General
Tunde Idiagbon were selected to lead the country
by middle and high-ranking military officers after
a successful military coup d’etat that overthrew
civilian President Shehu Shagari
No Love For Particular People:
There was no religious crisis during his time,
however he was once quoted to have said
“muslims should vote muslims” during one of his
campaigns then in 1999. Though, in that
statement he tried encouraging fair votes between
muslim brothers, but it actually came out wrong.
More so, as a muslim he exempted Christians
from performing duties on Sundays. When he was
asked to exempt Muslims from duties on Friday,
he replied saying the bible says Christians should
rest on the 7th day, and asked Muslims to show
him where the Koran says they should rest on
Fridays.
Corruption:
Buhari fought against corruption relentlessly by
initiating a campaign called “war against
indiscipline “. In addition to that , he sentenced
all corrupt governors and ministers under
Shagari’s government and sent them to jail
without trial. This however affected even the
innocent ones who found their names linked to
corruption. The most significant part was that
president Shagari himself and his vice Ekwueme
Alex were even slammed with corruption charges.
Daugther:
Not many Nigerians know that his 1st daughter is
married to an Igbo man from Anambra State. This
was exposed by formal president of Nigeria
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Sincereity:
Many People do not know that Buhari while
serving as chairman of PTF, refused collecting
allowance giving an amazing reason that his
inner mind couldn’t let him as he is already
drawing pension from the government.
Buhari’s Employees:
Buhari’s driver and cook for the past 10 years are
Christians, contrary to the view held by several
Nigerians that he is a bigot.
Early Achivement:
He built and operated two petrochemical refinery
during his short stay in power. Buhari supervised
the establishment of our existing refineries.
No Nonsense Man:
Buhari is a no-nonsense strict man. His
meanness is seen crystal clear when silenced
critics of his administration passed decrees
curbing press freedoms and allowing for
opponents to be jailed up to three months
without formal charges. During his time any
journalist who writes or talks too much will be
sent to have great fun in jail. The Guardian
newspaper would happily tell you that most of
their journalists were “having fun in jail”. Also his
administration sent Fela Kuti the popular musician
and political critic to ten years in prison on
charges that Amnesty International publicly
declared as “fabricated and politically motivated”.
Property:
Am sure many Nigerians are not aware that
Buhari is one of those rare leaders who don’t
have any property in Abuja or abroad. As a
minister of petroleum, PTF chairman and head of
state, Buhari has only one house and kept no
foreign account.
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