The winner of Nigeria’s presidential election in March, Muhammadu Buhari will be sworn in as leader of Africa’s most populous country.
[contextly_sidebar id=”YOm7fSWgIQPmXfjthzvs8qr8ratX8aSo”]The 72-year-old is the first opposition figure to win a presidential election in Nigeria since independence in 1960.
He defeated his contender Mr. Jonathan who had been in office since 2010 – by 15.4 million votes to 12.9 million
Buhari has described himself as a “converted democrat” and has declared his commitment to lead an administration committed to the needs of Nigeria by cracking down on corruption.
The country has been battling with some challenges including Boko Haram, corruption in the oil sector among others.
Victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the north east have however expressed hope that Buhari will tackle the uprising.
About Buhari
Born on 17 December 1942, Buhari is also a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army.
He was Head of State of Nigeria from 31st December 1983 to 27th August 1985 after a coup d’état. Buhari hails from the Katsina State of Daura and is of the Fulani ethnic group, one of the key ethnic groups in northern Nigeria.
He is the twenty-third child of his father, whom he lost at the age of four. He married his first wife, Safinatu in 1971whom he divorced 17 years later.
He married his second and current wife, Aisha, a year later in 1989. He had five children each with the two women.
The former military leader joined the Nigerian Army in 1961 through the Nigerian Military Training College before proceeding to the Mons Officer Cadet School in England.
He was commissioned second lieutenant and appointed Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, Nigeria in 1963.
Buhari rose through the ranks swiftly and was appointed the Military Secretary at the Army Headquarters in 1978.
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By: citifmonline.com