Nigeria declares Tuesday, July 15 public holiday to honour Buhari

The Nigerian government has declared Tuesday, July 15 a public holiday to honour the country's late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigeria's Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who announced the holiday declaration, said on Monday that the day would be a mark of respect for Buhari's service to the nation.

"President Muhammadu Buhari served Nigeria with dedication, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the unity and progress of our great nation," Tunji-Ojo said in a statement.

"This public holiday provides an opportunity for all Nigerians to reflect on his life, leadership and the values he upheld," he added.

Seven days of national mourning

Buhari died aged 82 while receiving treatment at a London hospital in the United Kingdom on Sunday.

The Nigerian government said the former head of state succumbed after a "prolonged illness", without disclosing what Buhari was ailing from.

On Sunday, President Bola Tinubu declared seven days of national mourning, and directed Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima to travel to the United Kingdom to accompany the remains of Buhari back home.

Shettima has since arrived in London.

Fourth time lucky

In his announcement, President Tinubu also directed that all flags in the country must fly at half-mast as the West African nation mourns its former leader.

Buhari served as an elected president for two consecutive terms, having won elections in 2015 and 2019.

Prior to that, he had unsuccessfully sought election on three occasions, which were 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections.

Buhari had, however, served as Nigeria's military head of state from December 1983 to August 1985 after soldiers overthrew the government of then-President Shehu Shagari over Nigeria's "economic challenges and corruption in government."

Buhari's ouster

In August 1985, Major-General Ibrahim Babangida led a coup that overthrew Buhari's government over "failure to tackle Nigeria's economic problems."