The Long Journey of Buhari to Greatness – Giant’s Trip to Hell and Back

At what must go down in history as its lowest
moment since the Biafra war, Nigeria descended into
a pariah state status under dictator Sani Abacha.

MUHAMMADU Buhari was sworn in as Nigeria’s next
president on Friday in the capital, Abuja, 30 years
after he was ousted as military head-of-state in a
coup by a rival general.
Here are six key moments in the nation’s history
between the two Buhari regimes, and the trials it has
had to overcome

June 23, 1993: military annuls election

The general who removed Buhari in the 1985 coup,
Ibrahim Babangida, had grown infamous for
entrenching corruption in Africa’s most populous
country.
He repeatedly backtracked on promises to hold
elections and to handover to a civilian administration.
In 1993, he appeared to finally capitulate, organising
polls on June 12 that popular business tycoon
Moshood Abiola was on track to win in a landslide.
But on June 23, as final results were expected,
Babaginda annulled the vote and tried to extend his
tenure.
Though he was ultimately removed three months
later, military rule was to last another five years, with
Nigeria descending into a pariah state status under
dictator Sani Abacha

November 10, 1995: Ken Saro-Wiwa executed

The environmental activist had led a protest
movement aimed at blocking Shell from continuing to
operate in the oil-rich Ogoniland region of the
southern Niger Delta.
His Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People
argued oil production had devastated the region’s
environment while providing no benefit to ordinary
people.
When four pro-Shell Ogoni leaders were murdered,
Abacha’s regime blamed Saro-Wiwa and eight of his
loyalists.
He was convicted in what was widely condemned as
a military show-trial.
The execution on November 10, 1995, appeared to
crystallise how far Nigeria had fallen: oil, the most
important sector, had been overrun by corruption and
mismanagement, while a ruthless military dictator
cracked down on those who dared to protest.
The execution was universally condemned, including
by Nelson Mandela and other major world leaders.
Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth.
October 21, 2005: debt relief deal
The deal struck under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
administration was heralded as marking Nigeria’s full
return to the international system, six years after
democracy was restored.
The Paris Club creditors’ decision to wipe out 60% of
Nigeria’s $30 billion (27.5 billion euros) in debt
followed two reasonably successful elections and
steps by Obasanjo to tackle corruption and push
through economic reform.
Obasanjo’s status as an anti-graft reformer is fiercely
disputed—billions went missing under his watch—but
the Paris Club deal closed one chapter in the history
of military rule, when Nigeria largely ignored its
international debt obligations.

July 30, 2009: Boko Haram founder killed

In the preceding days, Yusuf’s supporters clashed
with security forces in the northeast city of Maiduguri
over an order mandating motorcyclists to wear
helmets, which they said violated their religious rights.
Yusuf was arrested and extra-judicially killed by
police days later.
While no single event cast Boko Haram down a path
of mass murder and kidnappings, Yusuf’s death
appeared to be a turning point.
Previously, violence blamed on the group had been
small in scale.
After its founder died, the group went underground for
about a year, re-emerged with new leaders and re-
launched an insurgency that has claimed more than
15,000 lives and forced 1.5 million others from their
homes.
Most of Boko Haram’s victims have been unarmed
civilians, including children, thousands of whom have
been kidnapped.

February 10, 2013: Super Eagles victory

Nigeria’s footballers, led by coach Stephen Keshi,
ended a 19-year drought at the African Cup of
Nations, beating Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final.
Many in the football-mad nation of 173 million people
had come to resent the national side’s under-
performance at major tournaments, especially
compared to nearby Ghana, which has just 25 million
people but was only a missed penalty away from
reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2010.
There remains a significant divide between Nigeria’s
mainly Muslim north and mostly Christian south but
celebrations for the Super Eagles African cup win
transcended the regional divide.

April 1, 2015: Buhari beats Jonathan

Buhari’s win over President Goodluck Jonathan was
the first time an opposition candidate had defeated an
incumbent in Nigeria’s history.
Expectations are high following the much-criticised
Jonathan era, which has been plagued by corruption,
crippling power shortages, economic turmoil and
widespread unrest.
For some, the historic transfer of power set for Friday
has solidified democracy in Africa’s top economy.