Buhari gave us peace after years of terror - Maiduguri residents
By: Zagazola Makama
Some residents of Maiduguri, Borno have eulogised late President Muhammadu Buhari for restoring peace to the North-East during his tenure.
In their tributes on the passing of the former President, they recalled how the beleaguered region, once under militant control, witnessed a steady return to peace.
Specifically, they recalled how 23 local government areas in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Gombe states were liberated from Boko Haram occupation.
Ibrahim Kachallah, a resident, said in Maiduguri, that over two million IDPs were resettled to their homes following peace restoration, during Buhari's administration.
Kachallah said the late President equally approved the construction of over 10,000 houses for IDPs who lost their homes.
Babagana Goni, who expressed the same sentiments, said key among Buhari's developmental legacies in the region was the Maiduguri Emergency Power Project, a 50 MW gas‑fired plant commissioned on March 2, 2023.
The project was jointly built by NNPC Ltd., General Electric, and China Machinery Engineering Company.
Goni recalled that before the project was inaugurated, Maiduguri and its environs had been in darkness for over a year due to attacks by Boko Haram on power holding facilities.
Goni described the power project as a “lifeline that reignited commerce,” with Buhari directing power authorities to sustain collaboration with NNPC for expanded gas utilisation.
"These efforts transformed Maiduguri’s energy landscape.
“Before, the night was darker than the siege,” another resident, Halima Musa, a small‑scale rice farmer recalled
Another local, Ahmed Japhet, credited Buhari’s insurgency campaign, saying; “He gave us peace after years of terror.
"23 LGAs in Borno were freed. I lost friends, families and relatives to Boko Haram; that freedom mattered," she said
Fatima Bulama, a Borno‑based teacher said Buhari initiated several empowerment programs for the youths and farming communities.
“ The Anchor Borrower Programme provided a lifeline for several families during his tenure.
“He came, saw our darkness, and lit a path, not just lamps. He gave hope to all of us,” she said.
Abdulrahman Chiroma recalled that Buhari first held power from 1983 to 1985 as a military head of state.
“He returned democratically in 2015, heralding himself as an anti‑corruption crusader.
"He wielded a broom as a symbol of reform and was notably the first opposition candidate to topple an incumbent .
“Yet his legacy was mixed: under him Boko Haram was technically defeated in 2016. Despite the successes, insecurity persisted.
Shehu Umar, a trader in Maiduguri said: “He arrived in our darkest hour and left footprints in our soil".
Buhari passed away on Sunday in a London hospital.
His death was announced by his family in a statement issued by his former spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu.
President Bola Tinubu had announced a national mourning with flags lowered half‑mast and the Vice‑President, Kashim Shettima dispatched to the United Kingdom to convey Buhari’s body home.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s President from 2015 to 2023 and previously as a Military Head of State from 1983 to 1985.
