Buhari’s legacy: Leaving Nigeria on autopilot

Dec 12, 2022|Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Jr.

I will never forget the day Buhari won the 2015 election.

There was this collective joy and relief around the country—we were excited for the “change” that was about to come. Finally, no more PDP, the party that ruled the country since 1999 and squandered our resources. It was time for Nigeria to reach its full potential, we thought. In fact, newspapers reported that at least 25 people had died while celebrating Buhari’s win. It was that bad.

Buhari won on the narrative of change, anti-corruption, and a retired general who will put Boko Haram in their place.

And so, we waited…

Key takeaways:

With the economy heading towards turmoil in 2015—tanking oil prices and increased fatalities from insecurity—Nigerians could have used a more energetic leader.
Despite the president’s claims of corrupt practices within his government, nothing has been done to hold people accountable, showing the President lacked the willpower to govern.
Buhari’s lack of energetic leadership landed the country on autopilot. It resulted in sluggish decision-making, from our delay in joining the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) to flooding and oil production crises.

Fast forward to 100 days after his inauguration, and it was already clear that something was amiss. Nigerians had gone from shouting “Sai Baba” with a lot of energy to kissing their teeth. “We call him Baba go slow now”, we all muttered.

The new president had inherited an economy that was surely heading for bad times. Oil prices had tanked, and total reported fatalities had gone