Former President Muhammadu Buhari recently relocated to his known residence on Sultan Lane, GRA, Kaduna.
Since Buhari exited the Presidential Villa in Abuja on May 29, 2023, he had been in his country home in Daura, Katsina State until recently.
Credible sources said his relocation to Daura was actually a stop gap measure after leaving office pending the completion of his Kaduna house.
It was learnt that the house was demolished and thereafter rebuilt by one of the leading construction companies in Nigeria.
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When one of our correspondents visited the location of the house, there were heavily armed security operatives, making it difficult to go much close to the building.
He, however, managed to get a picture of the area, even as the newly built house could be seen from the distance.
The Kaduna house is where Buhari was known to reside prior to his swearing in as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2015.
The house used to be a modest edifice said to have been built when he was serving as a senior officer in the army and years before he became head of state in 1983.
During those years, visitors to the house were often surprised at the modesty of the entire building, which stood on a vast compound, compared to what other former heads of state have as abodes.
The duplex stood in front of a lawn, which took most of the space on the plot accommodating the house.
For the eight years that Buhari held sway as president, sources said not much was done to upgrade the house as he spent his vacation mostly in his home town of Daura.
Careful about his modest lifestyle, the former president has always insisted that he did not use his office either as military head of state or president to enrich himself.
Close to the end of his second tenure in 2023, Buhari surprised many when he gave notice that on leaving office, he would be returning to Daura instead of Kaduna to stay away as far as possible from the seat of power in Abuja.
When he handed over to President Bola Tinubu, Buhari retired straight to Daura, where he lived for close to two years.
In an interview on NTA’s ‘Conversations With History’ aired in November 2023, Buhari had said: “People charter buses and come to see me from time to time. I thought I had stayed as far away from Abuja as possible, but they still come. I would have gone to Niger if the borders were opened.”
And at a recent event organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina, Buhari emphasised that he had just three houses, two in Kaduna; one, which he was occupying before he became president, and another, which he said he had put up for rent. The third one is his country home in Daura.
Sources said it was while he was in Daura that the Kaduna house was “reconstructed completely,” befitting his status as a former military head of state and later, president.
Relocation
In a surprising twist to his earlier promise, Buhari relocated to Kaduna to a well redesigned and reconstructed edifice.
The surprise for many is the ease with which the edifice came out, given the acclaimed frugal nature of the former president and his preference for a near Spartan lifestyle.
Our correspondent, who visited the area, observed that the narrow street where the former president’s residence is located was largely deserted, with only a few vehicles parked in front of neighbouring houses.
Soldiers and policemen were seen stationed at the entrance gate, along with plain clothes security personnel believed to be undercover operatives maintaining vigilance.
It was also gathered that the first house on the left of the street belongs to the late General Shehu Musa Yar’adua and was guarded by soldiers.
Other notable figures residing in the area include a former minister of environment, Mahmoud Abubakar and a former Kaduna State governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.
There are indications, however, that the former president may have taken advantage of one of his privileges as a former president to have the house redesigned.
As a former president, Buhari is entitled to remunerations and other packages as recommended by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). They include free medical treatment for himself and members of his immediate family; 30 days of annual vacation within and outside Nigeria; a well-furnished and equipped office in any location of his choice; a well-furnished five-bedroom house to be provided in any location of his choice, all at the expense of the federal government.
It is believed that it is the last benefit the former president may have taken advantage of to work on and expand his Sultan Lane residence, which now wears a new look.
It is obvious, even from the outside, that there are more buildings now in the compound, unlike in the past where lawns took up vast spaces on the plot. The glistening creamy colour it now wears also stands it out from other property within the vicinity.
Credible sources told one of our correspondents that indeed, it is the federal government that reconstructed the house.
Presidency mum
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the Presidency on the development were not successful as Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, declined comment on the development.
However, a source within the Presidency told Weekend Trust that issues concerning the welfare of the past presidents were domiciled in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The source said: “I think issues that have to do with the welfare and emoluments of former presidents and their vice are domiciled in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“To my knowledge, I do not think that you would get what you want in the Presidency here. It is better if you check at the SGF’s office.”
Also, efforts to get comments from officials at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) were not successful as those contacted said they did not have any information on the matter.
However, top officials in other sectors of the government said it was the Presidential Villa that could answer such question, especially if that was captured in the severance package of former President Buhari or was based on request from the later.
In the 2023 budget, the federal government earmarked a total of N13.8 billion for the upkeep of former presidents, vice presidents, heads of state, chiefs of general staff, retired heads of service, permanent secretaries, as well as retired heads of government agencies and parastatals for the 2024 fiscal year.
The provisions for former presidents/heads of states and vice presidents/chiefs of general staff under the budget stood at a cost of N2.3 billion.
Since his early military days, Buhari was known to have lived in Kaduna, and his recent move is seen as a home coming of sorts.
A resident who refused to disclose his identity said the house was given a total overhaul.
Sources said Buhari performed his Juma’at prayer penultimate week at the Yahaya Road Juma’at Mosque, GRA, Kaduna amidst tight security.
He was seen at the mosque near his residence a few minutes before 1pm last Friday, escorted by security personnel.
Weekend Trust reports that on February 27, the former president was accompanied to his Kaduna residence by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other high-profile dignitaries, including the Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, current and former deputy governors of Katsina State, a former Inspector-General of Police, former ministers and several personal aides.
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