"Mahdi Shehu: Buhari's Painful Legacy Can't Be Drowned Out by Books"

Table of Contents

• Criticism of Buhari's Legacy
• Futility of Praising Books
• Public's Impressions
• Leadership Failures
• Critique of Authors
• Damage to Electoral Confidence

Public affairs commentator Mahdi Shehu has expressed his disapproval of the increasing number of books written to commend and defend the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated that no amount of writing can erase what he referred to as Buhari’s painful legacy in the minds of millions of Nigerians.

In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Shehu remarked that gathering the best writers and authors to create books in honor of Buhari would ultimately be a futile endeavor.

He maintained that the experiences of Nigerians during Buhari’s administration cannot be rewritten.

“Let the finest writers be gathered to continue penning works about the late President Muhammadu Buhari, selecting the most eloquent phrases to praise him and the most compelling arguments to justify him. It will still be an exercise in futility,” Shehu asserted.

He emphasized that Nigerians possess permanent and indelible memories of Buhari that no well-crafted book can change.

“President Buhari may signify different things to the authors, their sponsors, and the promoters, but millions of Nigerians, both deceased and living, have a lasting impression of him,” he stated.

Shehu characterized Buhari as a leader who publicly yearned for power but, in his opinion, lacked the competence to manage it effectively.

He accused the former president of being inept and oblivious to how power should be utilized to enhance the quality of life for the populace and foster national development.

“He delegated authority without the ability to oversee, reward, or penalize. He was a powerless observer with authority in hand, watching as some of his appointees wreaked havoc on the political and economic landscape,” Shehu remarked.

“An architect of failure, a quantity surveyor of suffering, a structural engineer who oversaw the collapse of Nigeria’s economy, commerce, politics, and social cohesion. While he was alive, they hurried to write books about him and laughed all the way to the bank.”

“Following his death, they have begun writing books about him again, and they will undoubtedly profit as usual,” he added.

Shehu also criticized the authors and promoters of the books written about Buhari, accusing them of employing flowery language and self-aggrandizing narratives to portray a misleading image of heroism.

“They use heartwarming phrases and exaggerated praise to mislead the public into perceiving a hero that he never truly was,” he stated.

He listed several books written about Buhari, including "Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy (2015–2023)," "Working With Buhari" by Femi Adesina, "Buhari: The Making of a President," among others, arguing that they all share a similar pattern of praise while neglecting what he termed serious governance failures.

According to Shehu, book launches and public presentations celebrating Buhari amount to celebrating failure, shielding ineptitude, entrenching nepotism, and excusing deception in public office.

He also accused the Buhari administration of undermining public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.

“The oversight of the erosion of electoral credibility, using INEC as a willing instrument to shortchange Nigerians, is one of the most significant disservices that the late Muhammad Buhari has done to Nigerians, whose trust in electoral processes remains forever compromised.”

“All those who continue to attend the launches of the books about late Muhammad Buhari know deep down that there is absolutely nothing to write about him except trash, and nothing to celebrate except the supervision and observation of fraud and deception. There is nothing to celebrate about him but monumental failure,” he declared.