The final days of former President Muhammadu Buhari after completing his eight-year tenure were deeply traumatic for his family, marked by prolonged illness and emotional strain. Buhari, who was in his eighties at the end of his presidency, battled serious health challenges before his death.
These moments are vividly captured in From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, a new biography authored by Dr. Charles Omole. In the book, former First Lady Dr. Aisha Buhari offers a tender and unflinching account of her husband’s final days.
“The final days were difficult. ICU for some days, then the ward, then the slide. The last three days were the worst,” Aisha recalled.
According to her, Buhari’s final year after leaving office was filled with frequent transatlantic trips and an unrelenting calendar of funerals and hospital visits. On one such trip to the United Kingdom—initially to fix a tooth and enjoy the summer air—his condition worsened. Aisha, who had remained in Abuja mourning a nephew, later rejoined him in London before returning to Nigeria for another family burial.
Aisha believes Buhari’s illness was rooted in his years as a soldier, spending long periods in harsh weather conditions during the civil war, exposure she said likely weakened his lungs over time. Age and a past history of smoking compounded the damage. Pneumonia, she said, was the final illness.
She described hospital corridors filled with quiet dread, children taking turns to stay by their father’s bedside, and doctors struggling to stabilize his condition. Acute pneumonia was eventually diagnosed, though this did little to quell public speculation.
“Pneumonia doesn’t usually kill people,” she was told. “It can,” she replied, “especially with old age.”
Aisha dismissed rumors that Buhari died of cancer, including claims of leukemia or pulmonary lymphoma, insisting pneumonia was the official diagnosis communicated to the family. She acknowledged, however, that poor communication from the government fueled speculation throughout his illness.
“Simple developments became conspiracies because there was no strategic communication,” she said, a weakness the book also identifies as a hallmark of Buhari’s administration.
In one poignant moment, Aisha recalled trying to help reposition Buhari with a pillow to ease his breathing. Unable to lift him fully, they settled for a compromise. “Are you okay now?” she asked. “Yes, thank you,” he replied.
She left the hospital briefly to rest, only to feel an overwhelming pull to return. Buhari passed away around 4 p.m., the same moment she later learned his breathing changed and stopped.
After his death, Aisha said the state’s takeover of burial arrangements helped prevent chaos and manipulation by former power brokers. She stressed that neither she nor her son sought confrontation or revenge.
“They feared us,” she said, “but we did not come to fight.”
Reflecting on tensions within Aso Villa, Aisha described the presidential residence as “an ecosystem” where courtiers and relatives struggled for influence. She pushed back firmly against attempts to sideline her.
“This is my house,” she said. “You cannot be in charge of my husband’s office and also be in charge of me, his wife, inside my house.”
Her account adds an intimate, human dimension to the final chapter of Buhari’s life—one shaped by illness, love, power, and the quiet gravity of farewell.