Buhari Is Dead. To Mourn or Not to Mourn Nigeria’s Soldier-President?

On July 13, 2025, Nigeria’s former military ruler turned civilian president, Muhammadu Buhari, died in a London hospital. His life and leadership raise a fundamental question at the heart of Africa’s postcolonial journey: Can the military ever be trusted to birth democracy?

In this episode, we explore the layered legacy of Buhari — from his 1983 coup that toppled President Shehu Shagari, to his 2015 election as a “reformed democrat” defeating Goodluck Jonathan. We examine his controversial economic policies, his role in the anti-corruption war, and the tensions with movements like #EndSARS, which criticized his government’s police brutality and lack of accountability.

Zooming out, we unpack Africa’s long, troubled love affair with military power — from Captain Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso, Assimi Goïta in Mali, and Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan in Sudan, to the enduring civilian stability in countries like South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. We question whether civilian rule is inherently better — especially when democracies become corrupt, compromised, or complicit.

And in the shadows, we trace the foreign fingerprints in many of these coups — France’s interests in the Sahel, Russia’s Wagner Group, U.S. military alliances, and China’s quiet influence.

All of it loops back to a single, haunting name: Thomas Sankara — the pan-Africanist icon whose assassination, ideals, and memory continue to echo across a continent still yearning for justice, dignity, and true freedom.


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