Nominations for The Muslim 500, 2024 edition are Now CLOSED

President Muhammadu Buhari won his second term as President of Nigeria in February 2019, beating his rival by more than three million votes.

Military Past: President Buhari began his military career at the Nigerian Military Training School of Kaduna in 1963. He was involved in military coun­ter-coups in 1966 and 1975, and the coup of 1983 which overthrew the democratically elected govern­ment and resulted in him being head of state for two years. During these years, he gained fame for his all-out war against corruption and indiscipline, a repu­tation he has since kept. In 1985 he was overthrown and kept in detention for 3 years.

Anti-Corruption Presidential Candidate: Presi­dent Buhari ran as the main opposition candidate in the presidential elections of 2003, 2007 and 2011, all ending in defeat, before winning in 2015. His platform was built around his image as a staunch an­ti-corruption fighter and his reputation for honesty and incorruptibility. He is considered an icon by the Muslims of northern Nigeria but enjoys nationwide respect due to his stance on corruption.

Fighting Boko Haram: The President has put de­feating Boko Haram on top of his agenda. Boko Har­am’s actions have consistently caused international outrage, and the President has publicly committed to stopping the terror attacks. In July 2014, he escaped a suicide bombing attack that killed over 50 peo­ple. On 6 May 2017, Buhari’s government secured the release of 82 out of 276 girls kidnapped in 2014, in exchange for five Boko Haram leaders. President Buhari met with the released Chibok girls before de­parting to London, UK, for a follow-up treatment for an undisclosed illness; health concerns continue.

Economy and infrastructure: President Buhari was the first chairman of the Nigerian National Petrole­um Corporation (NNPC) and was the mastermind behind the construction of 20 oil depots throughout Nigeria, a project involving over 3200 kilometres of pipelines. Both the Warri and Kaduna refineries were built under his leadership. He also established the blueprints for the country’s petro-chemical and liq­uefied natural gas programmes.

Environment: President Buhari is an active environ­mentalist who has drafted several plans to preserve wildlife in Nigeria. He has also exerted great efforts on the conservation of nature in Nigeria, such as con­trolling the logging industry by ensuring that double the number of trees felled are replaced by loggers. He has also worked on restricting the Ecological Fund Office so it can deliver on environmental challenges.

Protests: In 2020 protests against alleged police brutality of a special police unit of the Nigerian Police Force the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) erupted in Lagos and other major cities. A day after demonstrators declared their demands President Buhari announced the disbandment of SARS and promised “extensive police reforms”. The demonstrations led to at least 10 protestors being killed during violent clashes occurring between pro-SARS and anti-SARS protesters with the elite Presidential Guard Brigade intervening in the federal capital.

“Our faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken.”

520 spoken languages

250 ethnic groups in Nigeria