Former president of Nigeria dies
Muhammadu Buhari, the former president of Nigeria, Africa’s wealthiest country, was recently buried in his northern hometown as thousands of people lined the streets to say goodbye.
Buhari, 82, died Sunday in London from an undisclosed illness, but SaharaReporters said he died of leukemia.
He handed over power in 2023.
Current President Bola Tinubu, who attended college in Chicago, and several regional leaders attended. Senegal’s President Bassirou Faye described Buhari as a “leading figure in Nigerian and African political life.”
Buhari ruled Africa’s most populous nation twice as a military dictator and democratic president, and was one of the country’s most influential figures.
His presidency was marked by a prolonged health crisis that led to long medical trips abroad.
His legacy includes a widespread clampdown on human rights, isolationist economic policies, and escalating insecurity.
He first came to power in a coup in 1983 and was ousted two years later. He then won presidential elections in 2015 and 2019, making him the second-longest-serving Nigerian president.