16th July, 2025
PRESS RELEASE:
WHY BUHARI IS THE
FATHER OF MODERN NIGERIA
A faith-based human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC), has reiterated its description of the late former President Muhammadu
Buhari as the Father of Modern Nigeria. The group also gave reasons for giving
him the appellation.
The reasons were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday, 16th
July, 2025 by the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
The statement reads:
“Hundreds of tributes have been pouring in for the late former
President Muhammadu Buhari whose death was announced on Sunday, 13th
July, 2025. He died in a London clinic at the age of 82. But none of those
tributes has captured vintage Buhari as we know him.
“We have called Buhari ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’ at least on two
occasions. We first gave the late president the name ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’
in our statement of 14th March, 2022.
“Showcasing the Lagos-Ibadan train which was newly launched at the
time, we took about twenty of our members on a picnic from Lagos to Ibadan. We
rode on the train for the first time as first hand witnesses.
“Impressed by what we saw and experienced, we declared that Buhari
was the Father of Modern Nigeria (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/03/how-buhari-has-re-engineered-modern-nigeria-muric/).
“We reiterated this stand one year later in May 2023 when Buhari handed
over government (https://leadership.ng/muric-hails-buharis-achievements-calls-him-father-of-modern-nigeria/; https://gazettengr.com/buhari-father-of-modern-nigeria-survived-death-conspiracy-muric/?tztc=1).
We are consistent even though his achievements are too numerous to mention in a
single press statement.
“The most outstanding cassu belli for calling Buhari ‘Father
of Modern Nigeria’ are his compelling infrastructural achievements,
particularly his breakthrough in rail transportation. Lagos-Ibadan expressway
used to witness long traffic gridlock extending over twenty or more kilometers.
“Vehicles moved at snail speed on Lagos-Ibadan expressway
and a journey which should last just one hour, ceteris paribus, used to take
eight to ten hours. It was a route of waste, frustration, horror and sorrow. But
all these disappeared the moment Buhari’s train made its debut. That is one
major reason for calling Buhari the ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’.
“Buhari’s train did not stop at Lagos-Ibadan,
Abuja-Kaduna and Itakpe-Warri standard gauge rail lines will remain Buhari’s
bold signatures for a long time. The latter had been abandoned since 1987.
“It is important to note that if former President Muhammadu Buhari
had been corrupt, the $2.1 billion spent on the Lagos-Ibadan railroad would
have gone down the drain. The painful frustrating journeys to those
destinations would have continued till date. Ditto for other railroads constructed
by him.
“But there are other reasons. Buhari’s other achievements stood him
out. He turned the security architecture round 360 degrees. Like we said in one
of our earlier statements, one of Mr Buhari’s successes in the area of security
is the absence of suicide bombers and the closure of many Internally Displaced
People (IDP) camps.
“Seventeen out of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas
were under the full control of Boko Haram when Buhari took over in 2015. It was
so bad that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said Boko Haram was
controlling the size of Belgium. But Buhari pushed them back and recovered all
territories.
“Nigerian troops who used to flee to Niger or Chad during
fierce clashes with insurgents due to lack of better weapons became emboldened
under the Daura-born president. Nigerian media reported this ugly spectacle in
November 2014 during the reign of ex-President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/170914-nigerian-soldiers-flee-as-boko-haram-captures-more-territory-in-adamawa.html?tztc=1).
“This was made possible because instead of diverting funds meant
for weapons and military hardware, Buhari made Nigeria’s money count. He
strengthened the military by purchasing the most sophisticated weaponry from
everywhere in the world, including American Tucano fighting jets and attack
helicopters.
“Who else can qualify for the appellation ‘Father of Modern Nigeria’
but a three star general who was former military governor, former head of state,
former Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and president of Nigeria for
eight good years but in spite of these high level opportunities to enrich
himself, he died three days ago leaving behind just two houses which he had
before becoming president: one in Kaduna, and the other in Daura, his hometown.
He has not built an additional house even after eight years in office.
“Though he has not hurt Nigerians in any deliberate manner, he
asked for forgiveness from us. Courtesy demands that we must pray for him in
death. In particular, as a faith-based organization, MURIC will be failing in
its duty if we do not pray for this great man who has done so much for his
country but who has often been misunderstood.
“May Almighty Allah forgive him. May He shower His Divine Mercy on
him. May He also grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus. Aamiin.
“A colossus and an indisputable national icon, Buhari
pursued politics of discipline, honesty and selflessness. For him, it was
Nigeria first. He was a leader par excellence, a patriot nulli secundus. He
stands tall among other Nigerian leaders, living or dead.
“Greatest Nigerian People, Ladies and Gentlemen of conscience and
truth, we present to you posthumously, Mr. Integrity, Mr. Pedigree, Mr. Nigeria
First, the greatest patriot Nigeria ever had, Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari,
the Father of Modern Nigeria.”
#Buhari
#FatherOfModernNigeria
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
