Abuja, December 18, 2025 – SUNTV Global Channel
Halima Buhari, daughter of former President Muhammadu Buhari, has opened up about the private struggles her late father faced while in office, revealing that he was deeply aware of the disappointment many Nigerians felt toward his administration.
Speaking at the public presentation of the book “Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration” by former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Halima described the complexities of leadership in Nigeria and offered an intimate look at her father behind the scenes.
“Behind every soundbite, there was a human being; sometimes tired, sometimes determined, sometimes frustrated, always painfully aware that his decisions impacted millions of lives,” she said, recalling the former president’s quiet dedication and concern for the security and welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
Halima stressed that while Nigerians knew him as President Muhammadu Buhari, within the family he was simply “Baba,” noting that leadership in a diverse country like Nigeria involves compromises, trade-offs, and often imperfect choices.
She acknowledged that Buhari was not oblivious to public criticism, saying, “My father was not unaware of the criticism levelled against him. He knew that many Nigerians felt that more would have been done or done differently. He heard the voices of those who were disappointed, just as he heard the gratitude of those who felt their lives had improved.”
Halima emphasised that the event was not an attempt to define her father’s legacy but rather to highlight the challenges of governance and public communication. She praised Lai Mohammed’s book for offering an insider perspective on the workings of an administration in the court of public opinion.
“Our presence here today is not to rewrite history or to insist on a single interpretation of his years in office. Nigerians will continue to debate his legacy as they should in a vibrant democracy,” she added.
The event was attended by former ministers, ex-governors, an incumbent governor, traditional rulers, and political leaders from the APC and ADC.
