Halima Buhari, daughter of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has shared a personal account of her father’s life behind the public eye during the presentation of a new book authored by former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Speaking about the challenges of leadership, Halima revealed, “Behind every soundbite, there was a human being; sometimes tired, sometimes determined, sometimes frustrated, always painfully aware that his decisions impacted millions of lives.” She emphasized that the public image of President Buhari rarely reflected the private concerns that shaped his decisions.
Halima described witnessing a side of her father that few ever saw. “I saw the man who would sit quietly, listening more than he spoke. The man who worried about the security of ordinary people. The man who agonised over the gap between what was promised and what was possible,” she said.
Highlighting the complexity of governance, she reflected, “Leadership, especially in a country as complex as Nigeria, is never as straightforward as it looks from the outside. It involves trade-offs, compromises, and very often, imperfect choices.”
While acknowledging criticisms of her father’s administration, Halima maintained a balanced view. “He heard the voices of those who were disappointed, just as he heard the gratitude of those who felt their lives had improved,” she noted.
She positioned Lai Mohammed’s book as a contribution to Nigeria’s ongoing debate on presidential legacies, stating, “This particular book, written by someone who was in the inner circle of communication and messaging, provides one important perspective of how an administration must be shaped and sometimes challenged in the court of public opinion.”
