Jonathan to present Buhari’s biography; Tinubu, others to grace unveiling

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja Former President Goodluck Jonathan will be the chief presenter of “Muhammadu Buhari: The Authorised Biography” at a public presentation in Abuja on Thursday, 19 November 2026, with President Bola Tinubu expected as guest of honour. Chairman of the Planning Committee, Engr Suleiman Adamu, a former minister of water resources, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference.

According to him, the event will be chaired by former Niger Republic President Mahamadou Issoufou. The three volumes carry Forewords by Issoufou, General Yakubu Gowon and General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Adamu said the occasion was designed to be more than a political gathering. “We are deliberately seeking to make the occasion broader than a gathering of political associates.

Muhammadu Buhari was a partisan political actor during important periods of his life, but his biography belongs to the historical record of Nigeria. “For that reason, we hope the presentation will draw participation from across political, regional, professional and institutional lines,” he said. Adamu added that the programme would bring together “family, associates, colleagues, former officials, members of the political class, the military community, academia, the diplomatic community, the private sector, civil society, the media and the wider reading public.” The biography was authorised by Buhari during his lifetime and developed with his extensive personal participation through sustained interviews and other research engagements.

It also draws on several years of documentary research and interviews with people who knew, worked with, opposed or advised him. The first volume, “Buhari: The Phenomenon”, traces his origins, military career, years as military head of state and long journey through opposition politics to the 2015 presidential victory. The second, “Buhari: The Presidency”, examines the eight years between 2015 and 2023.

The third, “Buhari: The Reckoning”, considers the record on the economy, security, infrastructure, foreign affairs, anti-corruption, institutional reform and social policy. Adamu said the books must travel beyond the ceremony. “We regard it as important that universities, libraries, research institutions, military and security institutions, public agencies, diplomatic missions and other repositories of national memory acquire the volumes and make them available to students, researchers and future generations.

We invite Nigerians to approach these volumes with curiosity rather than with predetermined conclusions,” he said.