The Planning Committee for the Public Presentation of Muhammadu Buhari: The Authorised Biography says it is set to unveil a three-volume account of the former president’s life and leadership.
The committee, alongside May Publishing Ltd., disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday ahead of the formal presentation scheduled for Nov. 19.
Chairman of the Planning Committee, Suleiman Adamu, said the books documented Buhari’s life, military career, political journey and eight-year administration.
He said the publication was intended to promote historical documentation, leadership reflection and preservation of Nigeria’s institutional memory.
“Buhari occupied an unusual place in Nigeria’s modern history. His public career extended across vastly different political eras and institutional settings,” Adamu said.
He described Buhari as a soldier, military commander, military governor, federal commissioner, Head of State and political detainee.
He added that the former president was also a presidential candidate who repeatedly sought office democratically, an opposition leader and an elected president.
Adamu said Buhari served two constitutional terms between 2015 and 2023, adding that few Nigerian public figures had experienced similar political reversals.
“Few Nigerian public figures have experienced so many reversals of fortune or returned so repeatedly to the centre of national affairs.
“For more than half a century, therefore, Buhari’s name remained present in the Nigerian conversation,” he said.
According to him, Buhari’s life intersected with several defining periods in Nigeria’s post-independence history, making the biography relevant to understanding the country’s political development.
He urged universities, libraries, research institutions, public agencies and other organisations to acquire the books to support research and preserve historical records.
Adamu also encouraged Nigerians, particularly younger generations, to approach the volumes with open minds and engage with the evidence rather than predetermined conclusions.
The author and Chief Biographer, Dr Udu Yakubu, said the biography resulted from more than two years of research, interviews, writing and extensive documentary reviews.
Yakubu said the work examined Buhari’s life across different political eras, from his childhood in Daura and military career to his emergence as Head of State.
He added that it also documented Buhari’s return to power through democratic elections in 2015 and his administration between 2015 and 2023.
According to him, the biography comprises three volumes titled The Phenomenon, The Presidency and The Reckoning.
He explained that the first volume traced Buhari’s early life, military formation, participation in the civil war, emergence as head of state and subsequent overthrow.
He said the volume also examined his period as a political detainee and eventual return to democratic politics.
Yakubu said the second volume focused on Buhari’s administration between 2015 and 2023, including its policies, decisions, achievements, challenges and controversies.
He said the third volume assessed Buhari’s legacy in security, the economy, infrastructure, anti-corruption, governance, foreign affairs, social policy and national cohesion.
The biographer disclosed that the late president authorised the project, providing access to individuals, personal recollections and documentary materials relevant to his life and administration.
However, Yakubu stressed that the authorisation did not compromise his independence as a biographer.
“My task was not to decide in advance which Buhari should survive.
“It was to recover as much of his life as possible and allow evidence, chronology, circumstance and consequence to do their work,” he said.
He said the research involved interviews with individuals who worked closely with Buhari at different stages of his public career.
Yakubu added that the research team also consulted official records, speeches, reports and other documentary sources.
He explained that conflicting accounts were subjected to corroboration, while uncertainties were retained where available evidence could not provide conclusive answers.
The author said the biography neither sought to glorify nor condemn Buhari but aimed to provide a comprehensive account of his life.
He said the books examined both the achievements and shortcomings of the Buhari administration, including infrastructure development, security challenges, anti-corruption efforts and economic difficulties.
According to him, the publication was not presented as the final word on Buhari but as a contribution to continuing debates about his place in Nigeria’s history.
