By Our Correspondent
Former First Lady Aisha Buhari has offered fresh insight into why her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, often refrained from dismissing underperforming ministers and aides during his eight-year administration, shedding light on a long-debated aspect of his leadership.
Speaking at the launch of a new biography on Buhari, Aisha said the former president’s age, temperament, and concern for public perception played significant roles in his reluctance to sack officials who failed to meet expectations.
According to her, Buhari’s leadership style softened as he grew older, making him less inclined to take drastic decisions such as firing aides. She explained that while he was fully aware of poor performance in some quarters, he often chose caution over confrontation, believing that frequent dismissals could destabilize governance.
Aisha Buhari also revealed that her husband was deeply concerned about being labeled a dictator or authoritarian, a stigma he carried from his time as a military head of state in the 1980s. This fear, she said, made him hesitant to remove ministers, as he worried critics would accuse him of intolerance or excessive rigidity.
She further disclosed that some members of Buhari’s inner circle took advantage of his restraint, persuading him to retain certain officials despite clear shortcomings. Buhari, she said, often relied on a personal philosophy that prioritized partial delivery over outright dismissal, arguing that an official who could still perform at a reasonable level was preferable to starting afresh.
The former First Lady quoted Buhari as repeatedly saying that only officials who failed completely, combining poor performance with misconduct, deserved removal. This mindset, she noted, allowed some aides to remain in office longer than expected.
The revelations were made during the unveiling of the 600-page biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, written by Dr. Charles Omole and presented at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The book examines Buhari’s military and civilian leadership, acknowledging that his reluctance to dismiss aides was both one of his most criticized weaknesses and a reflection of his personal values.
Aisha Buhari also hinted that after leaving office, her husband continued to intervene quietly on behalf of some former aides, appealing to the succeeding government to treat them with leniency due to long-standing personal and political relationships.
The comments have reignited public debate over Buhari’s leadership choices, with analysts divided on whether his loyalty-driven approach promoted stability or enabled inefficiency within government.
