Buhari became head of state on December 31, 1983 after the military
overthrew the government of Shehu Shagari. But on August 27, 1985,
Buhari himself was overthrown by Babangida, his chief of army staff and
key actor in the 1983 coup.
Buhari, a retired major general and presidential aspirant on the
platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), told TheCable: "It is true
that I learnt he was planning a coup against me. And I sat and discussed
it with him in my office.
Reminded that the punishment for coup making was death and he could have
put Babangida on trial, Buhari replied: "Yes. Remember how many people
he killed subsequently for trying to overthrow him? But when I came in,
there was no bloodshed. I think a couple of policemen were killed and
[Brigadier Ibrahim] Bako also died in an ambush.
"But deliberately, nobody was killed. I was in the front, the real front
in the Nigerian civil war. I had seen enough of death and I know what
God means by human life. Any human being, God values their life. And
anybody who hopes to meet God, he should be careful about killing...
"When there is law and due process of law took place, the question is
clear. Like the cocaine convicts that were executed, the decision was
taken in supreme military council."
TheCable: People say that you were not really involved in the coup
that overthrew Shehu Shagari but you only happened to have been made
head of state. But we also heard that Alhaji Umaru Dikko, then minister
of transport, felt you were a threat and asked that you be watched. How
true are these reports?
Buhari:
General David Jemibewon is still alive. He was the adjutant-general of
the army at that time. When I came back from the War College in the
United States, I was posted to Ikeja and I was made the GOC of the
fourth division. I think I lasted for about four to six months there
because some people in Shagari’s government said I was too dangerous to
be kept around. So I was sent to Ibadan to command second division. I
lasted about six months there. Again, I was posted to Jos to command
the third armoured division. Then Jemibewon said to me, Buhari, the way
they are moving you, your next posting will be to Daura (Buhari's home
town in Katsina state). I had a good laugh. I will never forget. It was
during the chief of army staff conference.
TheCable: How much did you know about the 1983 coup?
Buhari:
I am working on my memoirs... (But) I have something to say now about
the way we treat our military officers who really served this country.
Along the line we have gone through so much, those of us in my
generation. We served under people like Generals Shuwa, Adekunle,
Murtala, Danjuma. I think these people have sacrificed so much. I think
Nigeria should really honour them. When I went to greet the family of
(Benjamin) Adekunle after his death, and I saw that he was living in a
glorified boys quarters, I was very sorry for this country. I felt sorry
for this country. What type of people are we? For him to finish up like
that, I was very sorry for this country. Unless people believe in God, I
think they will forsake this country.
TheCable: Alhaji Umaru Dikko is dead now. There was an attempt to
smuggle him into the country from the UK to Nigeria. Your government was
suspected as the brain behind it but you denied it then. Can the
information be declassified now?
Buhari: No. (General laughter). I'm surprised that I am making you laugh. It is classified and it remains so.
TheCable: Were you really aware that Babangida was planning a coup against you in 1985?
Buhari:
Yes, it is true that I learnt he was planning a coup against me. And I
sat and discussed it with him in my office. He was the chief of army
staff and I was the head of state. He brought the news that he went to
Kano and people complained that I pulled a pistol during a council
meeting. I had never heard that before, except a newspaper cartoon I saw
many, many years ago about Mengistu Haile Mariam (former Ethiopian head
of state). They were just making up stories. I said Ibro ─ I called him
Ibro because I was just senior to him by a few months ─ I said whoever
wants to sit on this chair let him come and sit here. And he decided to
do it.
TheCable: But the punishment for coup making is death...
Buhari:
Yes. Remember how many people he killed subsequently for trying to
overthrow him? But when I came in, there was no bloodshed. I think a
couple of policemen were killed and (Brigadier Ibrahim) Bako also died.
That was when they went to pick Shagari from somewhere, I think in
Abuja. But deliberately, nobody as killed. I was in the front, the real
front in the Nigerian civil war. I have seen enough of death and I know
what God means by human life. Any human person, God values their life.
And anybody who hopes to meet God, he should be careful about killing.
When there is law and due process of law took place, the question is
clear. Like the cocaine convicts that were executed (in 1984), the
decision was taken by the supreme military council (SMC).
TheCable: But when he eventually overthrew you, didn’t you regret
that you should have taken action when you heard that he was planning
against you?
Buhari:
Taking action pre-empting and jailing or killing people does not solve
the problem. But let people honestly ask now, as you said, those who are
bothered about Nigeria, let them ask now: what did I attempt to do for
the time Babangida and his group allowed me to stay and what did they do
in his eight years in office? I told you about the naira and the
dollar, and the IMF programme. What did they do? They wanted to impress
the world? The naira was devalued by about 122 percent. We have never
recovered. Go and ask any economist. When you devalue a currency, it can
never recover. Some of the politicians that were jailed for corruption,
they were released and their loot was returned to them by Babangida. So
it’s a big joke. That means I was there then before my time.
TheCable: Having been a military ruler who overthrew a democratic
government, how did you now come around to subscribe to democracy?
Buhari:
At the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone record, I will tell
the story again. After I came out of detention and went home in December
1988... then in 1989, 1990, 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and that
had a terrific impact on me. People were coming to me for advice. Thank
God, they did not come to me to ask for money because they knew I had no
money. I declared my assets as many times as I occupied political
office because that was the law. And when I left I declared my assets.
All those of us, our generation, from Obasanjo downward, if the country
is serious about questioning them on how they acquired what have, it is
easy because by law you have to declare your assets before office and
after you leave office. But because it is so convenient to ignore the
and accumulate wealth, that is what the big men and big women are doing.
Now, when the Soviet Union collapsed I realised that there was something
right about multi-party democracy. I believe it was superior. But then
how can we get it done in Nigeria? That was what eventually took me to
partisan politics. And why did I leave the ANPP and form CPC? Why was I
active in the merging of the opposition to become APC? It is all about
strengthening our democracy and stabilising the system. I don’t like any
person to see me as an impulsive person. I deliberately take decisions
for my actions. That it is why when ANPP gave me the presidential ticket
in 2003 and 2007, I went into the field, did my best but unfortunately
we didn’t achieve success. But then while we were in court the party’s
leadership took two marginal ministerial positions in the government of
the late Umaru Yar'Adua. The party chairman said his son was taking up
an appointment as special adviser while we were still in court.
Since 2005, we discovered that none of the opposition parties could face
the PDP. The PDP has become so amorphous and it didn’t care about the
opposition. If you see what happened to our members during elections...
the killings, the burning. We realised we had to come together to face
the PDP. This is the best way I think we can stabilise the system. When
we stabilise the system impunity will not be acceptable. That is why we
formed the APC. We need multi-party democracy to stabilise the system.
TheCable: What does a typical day in your life look like these days?
Buhari:
Firstly, as you know, normally the practising Muslims have to wake up
about five in the morning and pray. And I am an avid listener of the
Voice of America and the BBC, Hausa service. This is because over the
years I have discovered that they have been very, very helpful in
educating the mostly illiterate Hausa-speaking populace. From Agadez or
even from Tripoli down almost to South Africa, and from Senegal to
Central Africa Republic, there is large body of Hausa-speaking
communities, not necessarily Nigerian or Hausa, but those who speak the
language because of trading over the centuries.
I found out VOA and BBC commentaries on politics and economics very
good. They help to educate people. And they allow people to discuss,
express different opinions and they interpret it, and I find that very
helpful. And it is very current for Nigerian politics for that audience.
I listen to that, and then I try to rest again. And then by 10am I have
my breakfast, and go to the office or stay in the house if I choose to
work without any interference. Otherwise, I go to the office and try to
attend to official duties if I have appointments. About 4pm and 5pm I
come back home, and mostly up to 10 in the night I will be with people
discussing things.
These days, it is very difficult. This time scheduling is too tight.
Sometimes I wish I had more than 24 hours to keep up with the demands of
meeting people. Again, Nigerian politics, especially this time around,
is the main issue. It is keeping me extremely busy. I go to bed nothing
earlier than half past 11pm. I wish I could observe siestas. Sometimes I
do. If I can escape from the office by 3:30 pm.
