Some of those reacting to the recent passing of former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, were barely sentient when the death of late Nigerian military ruler, Sani Abacha was announced 27 years ago in June 1998.

While death remains a tragic and unwanted event, sentiments expressed in reaction to it typically vary depending on a number of factors which include the level of goodwill the deceased enjoyed while alive as well as their state of being as they breathed their last.

For the aforementioned leaders, their deaths occurred at seemingly inconspicuous moments but that didn’t prevent them from assuming national historic status, largely because of the closely similar nature of the reactions that trailed the respective announcements.

How did Nigerians react to Abacha’s death in 1998?

Obtained evidence from Nigeria’s foremost digital news library, Archivi.ng, shows that the death of Abacha was well-received with pleasure and jubilation by Nigerians in 1998.

Excerpts from the news item published by P.M News on June 9, 1998 reveal the great celebrations that filled the air and streets once the death of the military ruler became public knowledge.

A front cover story of the specific issue boldly carried the headline, “Abacha Has Paid For His Sins”, capturing the brazen and unapologetic thrill that enveloped the atmosphere across the board.

How are Nigerians reacting to the death of Buhari in 2025?

A careful look at social media commentaries and reactions so far indicates a predominantly celebratory sentiment, particularly among the youths.

Buhari died?

NOTHING BEATS A JET2 HOLIDAY!!

— baby bok choy (@grandpabbychuck) July 13, 2025

I will drink to Buhari's death and I don't even drink.

— Túka (@TukaLetura) July 13, 2025

My reaction when someone told me Muhammadu Buhari has died in London. pic.twitter.com/O6J1mRAk41

— Fisayo Dairo (@FisayoDairo) July 13, 2025

I'm currently at market, and people are jubilating about Buhari death.

— Noorie (@nuradeeeen) July 13, 2025

If this news of Buhari's death came while he was still president, the entire nation would have erupted in jubilation.

End of a failed Era. pic.twitter.com/SCgQav7uo6

— Thomas NOT Sankara (@Isidore0001) July 13, 2025

A president who couldn’t address his people live.

Interviews were nothing short of embarrassing.
Ask him about fiscal policy, and he starts talking about cattle flocks in Kano. 😭💔

Every national address had to be heavily pre-recorded, with cuts and edits just to make it…

— Bléh 🦄💜✨ (@The_Barr_OluT) July 13, 2025

I don’t want to say what’s on my mind, but I feel zero empathy. I’m not even sure what I feel, but it’s not kind. I do not feel joy, so I will not rejoice because I’m angry that this has happened this late. I also do not feel relief.

— Renike (@iamrenike) July 13, 2025

To you, he was a good man.
To me, he was a terrible president. A very terrible one.
We all owe death a debt. When I die, say all you can.
You can hail him on your page while I do mine here. Buhari o ni kuure all the same.

— Lola Okunrin (@lollypeezle) July 13, 2025

There’s also an underlying palpable sense of relief being expressed, almost hinting at the former president’s demise as a retributive act orchestrated by the divine rather than a natural occurrence of life.

May Muhammadu Buhari’s death give us all hope to see our enemies and tormentors perish while we’re still alive to celebrate.

— Uju Anya (@UjuAnya) July 13, 2025

Guy, my dad served in the Nigerian army for more than 35 years,yet when his beloved wife was sick,he couldn't even get his pension for that month. My mom died, dad couldn't take it and died 7 days later! If you like, let anybody gaslight you say "they don't speak ill of the dead" pic.twitter.com/hGCzP2wf6v

— Oluwademilade 💙 (@__DeeeCR7) July 13, 2025

At the end of the day, late President Muhammadu Buhari will be largely remembered as that one Nigerian President who had every single ingredient to succeed in office — especially unprecedented public goodwill — but ultimately flattered to deceive, and eventually failed.

A…

— 'Fisayo Soyombo (@fisayosoyombo) July 13, 2025

A constantly ill president who couldn’t build a world-class hospital even if it’s was for himself and his family. A failure of a man

Buhari remains the worst president in our history. May Allah judge him justly.

— Dr Hafsatu Danladi (@NigeriaRenew) July 13, 2025

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It is no longer news that the former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has died.

The announcement came late last night, stating that he passed away at a private hospital in London on July 13, 2025, after a brief illness. His death, unsurprisingly, has triggered mixed reactions across the country, ranging from prayers for his departed soul and celebration from frustrated citizens.

While some political allies and loyalists mourned him, many Nigerians, especially the youth, are openly celebrating having endured his two-term administration, largely marked by economic hardship, broken promises, and silence in times of crisis.

Breaking News: Nigerian Northerners troop out on the street in mass to jubilate over the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari. | #RwGBlog

Watch Full Video Here 👉 https://t.co/S4Jshwmwlp

The North | Uncle Tosin | Chelsea
Obasanjo pic.twitter.com/8L9JtTb5nj

— RwGBlog 🇳🇬 (@rwgblog_) July 14, 2025

Most of the criticism stems from his years in office, during which Nigeria slipped into two recessions and millions fell deeper into poverty. Yet, amid all this, Buhari’s government maintained an alarmingly extravagant lifestyle within Aso Rock. The feeding budget for the presidency alone raised eyebrows every year.

What Buhari Was Eating In Aso Rock

Buhari ate good, or so it seems. In Buhari’s 2017 budget, ₦850 million was allocated for food, cooking gas, and kitchen utensils at Aso Rock:

• ₦100.8 million for kitchen utensils (forks, knives, etc.)

• ₦360 million for foodstuffs and catering materials

• ₦63 million for cooking gas

• ₦114.9 million for the president’s food alone

According to the report, this breakdown was part of the ₦42 billion total allocated to the State House. Analysts noted that the utensil budget alone could have built at least five health centres. Premium Times also reported that in just three years, the presidency spent over ₦420 million on catering equipment alone, excluding food and gas, a figure they said could have reversed malnutrition among children in IDP camps.

They were definitely cooking up a storm with that exorbitant amount. But, alas! a friend of the deceased president in an interview in 2015 said his best food was a simple meal. It wasn’t steak or the most expensive meal in the world. It was a humble meal called tuwo alikama.

Alhaji Ahmed Babankowa, a retired police commissioner and close associate of Buhari for over four decades, said Buhari had a deep love for tuwo alikama (a wheat-based dish) served with various local soups like okra. Even while travelling, meals were pre-packed and stored in the convoy. His drink choices were also modest. Fanta, Coca-Cola, and water made up his beverage selection, no alcohol and no wine.

Despite the hardship many Nigerians faced during his time in office, Buhari, according to Babankowa, reportedly never missed his three square meals, but his simplicity did not stop Aso Rock from becoming a palace of excess.

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Recently, Garba Shehu, Buhari’s former spokesperson, also attempted to paint a picture of modesty in his book Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience. He wrote that Buhari ate basic foods like:

• Tuwo (dough-like dishes made from grains)

• Pap

• Akara (bean cake), Beans

• Wheat

• Salads

• Poultry

• Mutton

According to him, Buhari once rejected a ₦10 million meal budget and demanded it be slashed. Despite enjoying the most carefully prepared and lavish meals, Nigerian leaders, including Buhari, continue to frequently fly abroad for medical treatment.

Like Buhari, Like Tinubu

This wasteful pattern, unfortunately, continues with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In his 2024 budget, Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima allocated ₦660.5 million for meals, amounting to ₦1.8 million daily. The president’s office alone will spend over ₦287 million on foodstuffs and another ₦33.6 million on “refreshments and meals.”

If tomorrow, Tinubu’s spokesperson writes a book and claims his best food was agbado paired with ube, and that was most of what he ate in Aso Rock during his tenure, would you be surprised? While Buhari may have had simple tastes, the structure and operations of Aso Rock were anything but frugal. Whether Garba Shehu’s comments were true or not, we may never truly know.