A three-volume biography chronicling the life and political career of former President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled for public presentation in Abuja on Thursday, November 19.
The publication, titled Muhammadu Buhari: The Authorised Biography, explores the late Nigerian leader’s personal background, military service, political journey and eight years as president.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the organising committee and May Publishing Ltd during a press conference.
Chairman of the planning committee, Suleiman Adamu, explained that the books provide an account of Buhari’s life and his involvement in Nigeria’s political and military history.
He described the unveiling as an opportunity to preserve historical records and encourage discussions about leadership, public service and the country’s past.
“The public presentation is intended as a serious national occasion around history, memory, leadership, public service, and the continued responsibility of one generation to place before the next a reliable record of the people and events that shaped its time,” Adamu said.
He noted that Buhari held several positions during different periods of Nigeria’s history, ranging from military leadership to democratic governance.
“Muhammadu Buhari occupied an unusual place in Nigeria’s modern history. His public career extended across vastly different political eras and institutional settings.
“He was a soldier and military commander, a military governor, a federal commissioner, a head of state, a political detainee, a presidential candidate who repeatedly sought office through the democratic process, an opposition leader, and eventually an elected president who served two constitutional terms from 2015 to 2023.”
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Adamu explained that the first volume, Buhari: The Phenomenon, examines his early years, military career, rise to national prominence, tenure as military head of state and eventual involvement in opposition politics before winning the 2015 presidential election.
The second book, Buhari: The Presidency, focuses on his administration between 2015 and 2023. It examines his policies, major decisions, the officials and institutions that worked with him, as well as the challenges, accomplishments and controversies recorded during his tenure.
The final volume, Buhari: The Reckoning, assesses his legacy, with discussions covering the economy, national security, infrastructure, foreign relations, anti-corruption campaigns, institutional changes and social policies.
According to the committee chairman, the three publications are intended to offer a comprehensive examination of Buhari’s political life and provide material for assessing his place in Nigeria’s history.
The author and chief biographer, Udu Yakubu, disclosed that the project took more than two years of research, interviews, writing, editing, fact-checking and revisions to complete.
He said documenting Buhari’s life required examining his contributions and experiences across several political and historical periods.
“Buhari’s public life crossed military and democratic eras, wars and reconstruction, petroleum prosperity and economic crisis, military rule and democratic contests, opposition politics and presidential power,” he said.
Yakubu added that Nigerians of different generations had varying experiences and perceptions of the former president.
“He appeared in different forms before successive generations of Nigerians.
“There is a generation, or there was a generation, is or was, because you still have members of that generation, that knew him just as a young military officer.
“To another generation, he was the military head of state that was known for his austerity and severity and considered by some to be controversial. To another, he was a persistent opposition candidate who refused to disappear after repeated defeats.”
The biographer said the publication follows Buhari’s journey from his childhood in Daura, Katsina State, through his military service and eventual return to democratic politics.
He explained that the books also examine the influence of Buhari’s military background on his leadership style and the difficulties he encountered while governing the country.
Yakubu said dividing the work into three volumes made it possible to examine the different stages of Buhari’s life, his return to power in 2015 and the contrast between public expectations and the realities of governing Nigeria.
The presentation will hold at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites in Abuja, with former Niger Republic President Mahamadou Issoufou serving as chairman of the occasion.
The three books also feature forewords written by Issoufou, former Nigerian military Head of State Yakubu Gowon and former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar.