Buhari’s Death Exposes Gen Z’s New Politics — Mourning or Mockery?

Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s death may have come with official condolences and diplomatic tributes, but the real reaction — the louder, unfiltered one — is happening online, in the digital spaces where Nigeria’s Gen Z lives and breathes. What should have been a moment of national solemnity has instead turned into one of the most chaotic and revealing episodes of online youth commentary Nigeria has ever seen. As the announcement of Buhari’s death hit the airwaves, traditional media and older citizens quickly fell into mourning mode. Politicians praised his legacy. Former heads of state called him a “man of discipline.” News anchors wore black. But on Twitter (now X), TikTok, Instagram Reels, and even Snapchat, a completely different energy was brewing — one filled with memes, jokes, and, surprisingly, no tears. Some students reposted clips of Buhari’s infamous speech gaffes, pairing them with captions like “he finally read the last line” and “the silence is presidential.” Others made humorous skits reenacting fuel scarcity, ASUU strikes, or the infamous "budget padding" sagas that haunted his regime. More daring posts had captions like “Sapa has lost its father” and “rest in subsidy,” reflecting the complicated legacy Buhari left behind — one of economic hardship, youth protests, and silence in the face of national frustration. Still, a portion of young people took the moment seriously. “No matter what, this man was someone’s father and our former President,” one UNILAG student posted. “We’re losing our humanity in all this humor.” That tweet sparked a full-blown debate in the replies — with Gen Zs clashing over whether showing empathy for Buhari’s death meant excusing the pain many students felt during his rule. From the 2020 #EndSARS protests to prolonged ASUU strikes and biting inflation, many Gen Z students see Buhari not just as a political leader but as a symbol of their generation’s growing disillusionment with Nigerian governance. For them, the humor isn’t just mockery — it’s a form of protest, a release valve, a coping mechanism. One FUTA student said it best: “We didn’t mock him because we hate him. We mock him because we lived through him.” The reactions also exposed a growing generational divide in Nigerian politics. While Gen Zs are more inclined to engage with politics through memes, satire, and call-outs, older generations often interpret these expressions as disrespectful or irreverent. But for Gen Z, humor is not just about laughs — it’s their language of resistance. They are political in a different way: meme-driven, emotionally raw, socially conscious, and unapologetically online. Campus communities reflected the same divide. In group chats across Uniben, BUK, UI, and ESUT, students were reposting videos, debating ethics, and calling out celebrities who gave “PR condolences” without acknowledging the hardship they too once called out. It wasn’t just about Buhari’s passing — it was about reclaiming the narrative. Students felt that this was their moment to say, “We see through the performances,” and “This is how we remember it.” Still, some student leaders warned that disrespect in death could backfire. “Today it’s Buhari, tomorrow it could be someone you admire,” said a student union president in Ilorin. “We can’t keep dancing on graves and expect progress.” But the rebuttal came swiftly: “Did progress come when we prayed peacefully?” Gen Z’s frustration runs deep, and this moment — tragic as it is — has become a cultural mirror. This isn’t just about the death of one man. It’s about the rebirth of a political consciousness that no longer fits inside the framework of traditional mourning or national unity speeches. It’s about a generation that chooses reaction GIFs over candlelight, punchlines over press releases, and raw truth over hollow praise. Mourning? Maybe. Mockery? Perhaps. But more than anything, Gen Z’s reaction is a lesson — one that tells us how Nigeria’s youth really feel, and why their laughter should never be mistaken for apathy. Because in between the jokes and trending audios, what they’re really saying is this: we were there, we saw it all, and now we’re speaking our truth — one meme at a time.