Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died Sunday aged 82 in a London clinic, will be buried Tuesday in Daura.
The northern Katsina state, Buhari’s hometown and political stronghold, will host the burial, following consultation with his family, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda confirmed.
Vice President Kashim Shettima and other officials traveled to London on Monday to coordinate the repatriation of Buhari’s remains.
Buhari, a former military ruler turned civilian leader, made history in 2015 as Nigeria’s first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent.
Re-elected in 2019, he cultivated an image of incorruptibility, earning admiration in the predominantly Muslim north for his austere lifestyle.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute, calling Buhari’s “wisdom, warmth and commitment to India–Nigeria friendship” remarkable.
Known for trading his military uniform for flowing kaftans and prayer caps, Buhari famously described himself as a “converted democrat.”
Ibrahim Babangida, who ousted Buhari in a 1985 coup, praised him as humble and sincere despite their political differences.
After stepping down in 2023, Buhari lived quietly in Daura, far from the pressures of Nigeria’s mounting crises.
His successor, Bola Tinubu, inherited a nation beset by inflation, insecurity, dwindling oil output, and widespread economic hardship.
To supporters, Buhari was Nigeria’s conscience — a leader who rejected corruption and the excesses of the political elite.
But critics viewed him as distant and disengaged, accusing him of ruling by proxy and spending too much time abroad.
BusinessDay newspaper described him as “an absentee landlord” whose long absences for medical treatment alienated many Nigerians.
Buhari’s death marks the end of a turbulent yet transformative political journey that shaped Africa’s most populous nation.
