Muhammadu Buhari, Wikipedia.

This article summarizes historian Samuel Fury Childs Daly’s perspectives on Nigerian history and the armed rule that shaped its national identity and government. In particular, I discuss the legacy of the recently deceased Muhammadu Buhari (1942-2025), who saw a transition from military dictator to democratically elected leader. His career marked the rise of the strongman in postcolonial Africa. Also discussed are pivotal events like the War Against Indiscipline and the #EndSARS protests. These incidents showed the strains between repression and democratic freedoms found in Nigeria.

Not as widely covered in the news perhaps but explained by policy expert Mouin Rabbani, was Buhari’s probable cooperation with Israel during the infamous kidnapping and Dikko Affair. No matter the extent of Buhari’s involvement, this event further illustrated how militarism extended beyond its borders into international politics. The president’s influence demonstrated how armed governance remained a powerful force in the world.

Previously in African Politics is Invisible to the Wider World, Daly explained to CounterPunch how the soldier regime became a central political ideology in Nigeria following British colonial rule. Based on court records and personal archives in Soldier’s Paradise: Militarism in Africa After Empire, he argued that like capitalism or communism, the nation offered a structured vision for society, rooted in discipline rather than liberation.

Daly pointed out how the country’s long history of dictatorial rule (1966-1999) created a legacy for its own legal, social, and cultural fabric. Emphases on clothing heightened during times when Nigerians rejected or resisted martial governance. It influenced everything from public respect for uniforms to patterns of internal and external migration. Regarding forced migration, he stated:

This era saw many people deciding to leave Nigeria altogether. It was in the era of military rule that Nigeria’s modern diaspora really emerged. It was only really under military rule when large numbers of Nigerians left permanently. And the large Nigerian communities in the United States, in places like Atlanta and Houston, really emerged during this era. So, this points to something important, which is that not everyone was onboard with militarism as an ideology.

In other words, Buhari was a key figure during this era that drove away many into the diaspora; his rule exposed a kind of militarism that forced migration and created intense ideological opposition among the people.

Muhammadu Buhari

Since Buhari’s death on July 13, 2025, debates about his impact have resurfaced across Nigeria and the world. He first seized power in a 1983 military coup and later returned democratically elected in 2015. He represented military rule’s favorability in postcolonial Africa. To better understand how he shaped political culture rooted in armed governance, I asked Daly for further commentary on the general’s life based on the topics discussed in his recent

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