THERE are some silent heroes in the life of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s life. These individuals saved the former Nigerian president from living an uneventful life. While three played key roles in his military career, one was instrumenal in his emergence as the Nigerian president.

Mamman Daura

First of the individuals is Mamman Daura, Buhari’s nephew. Many may wonder why the former Nigerian president valued Mr Daura while he was in power and even made him his close confidant. That’s perhaps because they do not know that he was the architect behind Mr Buhari’s choice of military career.

Mamman Daura

Originally, Mr Buhari wanted to be a medical doctor. However, the only option left for him at that time was Pharmacology at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology in Kaduna. Due to the length of time it would take to complete Pharmacology, Mamman Daura advised Mr Buhari to enlist in the Nigerian army and pursue higher education there.

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Daura, a former editor of the New Nigerian newspaper, was alleged to be part of the infamous cabal under Mr Buhari’s presidency between 2015 and 2023. Mr Buhari trusted Mr Daura so much that he was always part of his government, having been very influential in the former Nigerian president’s military administration between 1984 and 1985.

Theophilus Danjuma

Many people, particularly young Nigeria, may not know the role played by former Chief of Army Staff, the then Lt Gen Theophilus Danjuma, in Mr Buhari’s military life. Mr Danjuma was Mr Buhari’s boss in the army. Gen. Danjuma strengthened the former president during the Nigerian/Biafran War by sending him to the hottest part of the war.

Theophilus Danjuma

The late military officer was a very disciplied officer who would not complain any time he was sent to the war front. Hr rarely gave excuses. As a result, Gen Danjuma saw him as the most trusted officer. This explains why Gen Buhari rose very fast in the army and was seen as an important instrument during a coup that brought Mr Murtala Muhammed to power.

“T.Y. as Chief of Army Staff built an army that was ready to execute combat operations day and night, at home and abroad,” Mr Buhari said in 2023 while celebrating Gen Danjuma’s 86th birthday.

“And at all times displayed the soldierly spirit of valor and indomitable courage. He served the army with pride.”

Tunde Idiagbon

Tunde” Abdulbaki Idiagbon was the 6th Chief of Staff (second-in-command) under General Buhari between 1983 and 1985. He is often lauded for his role in the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) policy introduced Mr Buhari’s time. This explains why political analysts say that Gen Buhari would have been a monumental failure without Mr Idiagbon.

Tunde Idiagbon

Idiagbon was in charge of national, political, governmental and administrative offices, and he was credited for introducing major policies during that time which included WAI, currency change, import substitution policy, Go Back To Land Programme, among others.

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Gen Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew Gen Buhari’s government, wrote in his recently released autobiography: “By the beginning of 1985, the citizenry had become apprehensive about the future of our country. The atmosphere was precarious and fraught with ominous signs of clear and present danger. It was clear to the more discerning leadership of the armed forces that our initial rescue mission of 1983 had largely miscarried.

“They both posited a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, antagonising the civil populace against the military. Fundamental rights and freedoms were being routinely infringed upon and abused.

“We were supposed to improve their lives and imbue the people with hope for a better future. Instead, we ruled the nation with a series of draconian decrees,” Babangida wrote.

Bola Tinubu

No matter what spin doctors say, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu was responsible for Mr Buhari’s emergence as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014. Mr Tinubu, now Nigerian president, collapsed his political structure for the APC and pulled a string that led to Mr Buhari’s emergence as the party’s candidate in 2014.

Bola Tinubu

Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television recently, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir David Lawal, who was part of those who founded the APC, said, as reported by Daily Trust, “The truth of this matter is that Bola had a huge input in the emergence of Buhari as president. He contributed much. Not necessarily financially, but using his social skills, you know, to get people, to convince people.”

He noted that people were afraid of Mr Buhari’s lifestyle and might not be willing to support him.

Mr Lawal said he and other supporters of Mr Buhari saw that the general didn’t have delegates. “Even in Katsina, we were not sure where they were going, because Atiku was there, and the North-West was there. And then there was Kwankwaso too, and this other guy from Niger. But these were serious people, serious candidates. Buhari’s austere persona made Northern elite uneasy.”

“We sat down—myself and Abdulkadir—we said, ‘What is going to happen to this convention on Saturday? He seemed to be one southerner that northerners would love, and were comfortable with. So we calculated that if Okorocha were to get all the Southeast votes and the North Central, Northern Christian votes… and add to it one or two Igbo votes from Delta, from Rivers, and so on, he would carry the ticket. That was our permutation.

“We laid this on the table,” Lawal said. “See, you people, you have to support, you have no choice but to support this man [Buhari]. Even if he campaigns or not… he will have 11 million votes whether he is on the ticket or not. So all we need is a little bit less than 5 million votes to match it up, to scale the closing line. And why did we enter the merger? To get these votes, the balance of these votes from the Southwest, six states. And of course, Edo was an appendage of the six states at that time.”

“We argued and argued and argued. And [Asiwaju] saw the logic. It’s better to join the winning ticket rather than support the losing ticket. And he saw the calculation. He saw the logic and agreed—the Southwest would deliver at the primaries.

“Let me tell you, it got to a stage all the people—they had collected some incentive from one of the candidates—I won’t mention [his name]. But they were forced to, they had to refund this money after the Southwest had taken a decision on where they were going,” he narrated.

Mr Buhari died in London on July 13 at the age of 82.