By Akintayo Balogun Esq.  

Introduction 

As the 8-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari comes to an end, the media was awash with the statement of the President where he said “I’ve run a good race and finished my course”. He made this assertion while performing the handover of Transition Documents and conferment of the highest honours on the president-elect and his vice. Upon a declaration that he had run a good race and finished his course, I was forced to do a review of the years in office and see if the outgoing government really fared well in delivering to Nigerians the promises it made to them in 2014/5 while campaigning and eventually assumed power.

Background

When the campaigns started gaining momentum in 2014, I was one of those who felt that General Muhammadu Buhari should be given a chance to prove what he is capable of doing as we have heard so much about him, particularly in the face of the insecurity that had engulfed the northern part of Nigeria at the time (being a General) and the endemic corruption that was wallowing freely in the Nigerian waters. I only heard stories of what happened during his reign between 1983 and 1985 with little knowledge of the nitty-gritty of the administration which was said to be strongly held together by his then vice, General Idiagbon. I was one of those that had the staunch belief that the incoming government of President Buhari will make a difference and most of the issues of Nigeria will be settled. I, away from friends and colleagues jubilated at the announcement of the results and the esteemed conceding of defeat by the then outgoing government of President Jonathan. I had hoped to see the end of humungous expenditures which characterized the activities of preceding governments and particularly, an end to insecurity in the region of the country where I was born and bred. We dreamt of a new Nigeria with a lot of balance.

ALAS, it took less than a year into the administration before I realized that it was all a sham. We have been thoroughly scammed. I realized I had fallen prey to political gimmicks and promises. The government spent the first 4 years in office condemning what the PDP had done in 16 years, yet failed to achieve little to nothing of its enormous promises to Nigerians and forgot that its members made up 90% of the previous administrations it so debased. A catalog of the promises of the outgoing government and the eventual performances turned out to be more pages than I envisaged, but the facts of the failures of the government kept on pouring in.

Score Card of 8 years

  1. Subsidy Scam: During the campaigns heralding this administration, it was alleged that subsidies do not exist. It was alleged the administration of the government of President Jonathan was merely using it to siphon funds for its cronies. We still recall the involvement of the opposition in the 2012 January subsidy nationwide protest that shook Nigeria to its feet. Alas, subsidy and its removal or not, became a part and parcel of the 8 years of the outgoing administration. It was removed a thousand times and threatened to remove more, yet it never disappeared. The new government will still inherit the subsidy crisis.
  2. University’s Strike action: I still have clips of the video where President Buhari granted an interview on the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) strike that was ongoing shortly before he was elected as President. He strongly condemned the inability of the government of President Jonathan to solve the reoccurring dispute between the government and ASUU. Fast forward to his tenure, we had some of the longest disappointing ASUU strikes in the history of Nigeria. Instead of our Federal institutions becoming the pride of the government and of Nigeria, the glory was taken by private institutions whose fees are practically not affordable to the average Nigerian. The administration of President Buhari failed woefully in this aspect.
  3. Boko Haram: For several years, the administration of President Buhari said they had decimated Boko Haram, yet pockets of attacks continued unabated. Chibok girls are still not fully recovered as nearly 100 are still in captivity. I had thought a General at the helm of affairs would within one year end the entire boko haram insurgency in Nigeria. Unfortunately, 8 years after, we are still in the thick of the fight against insurgency with little success recorded compared to our expectations of outright victory.
  4. Emergence Of Terrorists, kidnappers, And Bandits Groups across the Nation: Under the watch of the outgoing government, terrorist groups that were hitherto unknown, found their feet and wreaked unfathomable havoc across the country. Banditry that was hardly known became the order of the day across the country. The administration failed woefully with regard to securing the lives and properties of Nigerians mostly outside the popular cities. Kidnapping and demanding for ransom which was a practice in the south-south during the Niger Delta agitation for resource control, which was brought under control under the leadership of President Umaru Yar’Adua, came back to life again and in full force across the length and breadth of Nigeria. No solution was found to it.
  5. Herdsmen And Farmers Clash: Farmers and herders clash had been for several decades before the administration of President Buhari, but our expectation had been high that with the emergence of President Buhari, the situation will be brought under control. Unfortunately, right under the watch of President Buhari, the crisis between farmers and herders skyrocketed and turned into heavy communal clashes between herdsmen and communities around them. The situation in many North Central States has been pathetic, yet with little to no firm intervention from a President who is himself a proud herdsman.
  6. Industrial Revolution was at its lowest:  Nigeria increasingly became a merchant of importation. Cargo ships that dock at Nigeria’s port, mostly go back empty because Nigeria has little to nothing to offer as export. The textile industries never came alive as we had hoped. A visit to a once industrialized city like Kaduna State, the textile community is as dead as it has been in the last 20 years. Our industries were more of a graveyard.
  7. Humongous financial figures: The outgoing administration oversaw the award of highly inflated contracts and highly inflated prices of purchases. It is this government that purchased 10 fire trucks for 12 Billion Naira and allegedly feeds each inmate in the various custodial centers with N14,000 per day, yet inmates always look emancipated and malnourished. Over 200 Billion naira is already expended on a census that is yet to take place and may not take place in years to come. Nearly 400 Billion naira were spent on the conduct of a depraved general election. This is just to mention a few. I thought previous administrations were excessive until I realized that in this outgoing administration, a single plastic chair can cost as much as 20 million Naira.
  8. Prolong Incarceration of Persons: One of the practices that characterized the 8 years of the outgoing administration of President Buhari is the unlawful and prolonged incarceration of persons, some whose whereabouts till today cannot be ascertained, some who have never seen the four walls of a courtroom since the arrest, some with trump up charges and the likes. We have many suits in court for the enforcement of the fundamental rights of persons who have been arrested for a prolonged time without trial. Not even the judgment of a court or an order of the court has made any difference. This unfortunately is another major pitfall of the outgoing administration.
  9. Lopsided and biased political appointments: I must confess that the last eight years saw one of the worst lopsided and biased political appointments since the commencement of this running democratic era. Appointments were based on ‘man know man’, tribal and religious preferences. It is on record that 90% of the service chiefs throughout the 8 years of the outgoing administration were from one region of the country as well as occupiers of top and sensitive positions in the country. Several parastatals of government for the first time in their history were headed by non-career political appointees against the norm where it is a senior officer of the parastatal that has risen through the ranks and goes on to head the parastatal. We also had cabinet ministers who came on air to say they know nothing about the portfolio they were being given. You then wonder why they were given the ministries to handle. No wonder we had a ministry whose only known job was to declare public holidays and another ministry kept tertiary students at home for almost one year, yet walked out on protesting students that came into his office. If appointments had been on merit, many of the persons that served in the cabinet would have been disqualified.
  10. Power supply:  As part of its incoming promises, it was alleged that a cabinet member of the outgoing administration stated that a good government can fix the power sector in 6 months. Today, it is 96 months since assumption of office. We have not achieved beyond our 5,000-megawatt threshold. We didn’t build any major power plant. We did not utilize the power that can be generated by our scorching sun. The only thing we achieved was to move a bill allowing States to generate their own power. Nigeria is practically being powered by generator plants and nothing more.
  11. Depreciation of Our Naira: In Nigeria’s 55 years of existence, our naira to a dollar did not exceed 300 Naira to 1 Dollar. However, in the 8 years of the administration of President Buhari, our naira lost value so badly that today it is struggling to enter 800 naira to 1 dollar instead of seeking to improve its value.
  12. Inflation: Nigeria in the last 8 years witnessed one of its craziest inflation rates that saw prices of goods and services increase by over 300%. The situation got deplorable and there was hardly any intervention of government.
  13. Debt profiling: Nigeria which once announced under the government of President Obasanjo that it had become a debt-free country today is in debt of over 77 trillion Naira and steps were still being taken to borrow yet more funds towards the end of the administration without regrets. The minister of finance once announced during this administration that what it costs the government to service its debts was more than what is earns every month yet the government continued borrowing from any available source.
  14. Non-functional Refineries: Not one refinery came alive despite all the promises and swearing. 4 refineries are practically dead. Going by the promise of this administration, we ought to have 12 functioning refineries by now. 4 existing refineries and 8 newly built refineries would have been built per year of this administration. Today, none are built, and none are functioning. However, without shame, we all went to commission the refinery of a private individual. We note that for 8 years of the administration, President Buhari doubled as the Minister for Petroleum on the grounds that he would personally oversee the affairs of the sector. 8 years down the line, we never fared better, we never got better. It was all the same throughout the entire 8 years. All petroleum products are still being imported. If the Buhari-led administration had assembled the same amount of funds used in building a refinery by Alhaji Dangote, would the government have achieved the same result at the same time? Definitely not. We would have reports of embezzlement of funds, non-payment of contractors, workers on strike, etc.
  15. Nigeria Airways: Recorded as the airway that came alive on paper, on television screens, and on projectors but we never saw a single plane. The administration had alleged that several of the planes in the presidential fleets would be deployed to commence the activities of the airways. Unfortunately, none of this became a reality. Even the last minutes rush to procure an airplane shows how failed the project is. The Buhari-led administration could have learned from the Akwa Ibom government how a government body established and ran a functional airline.
  16. Disobedience Of Court Order: We saw a massive explosion in the disobedience of the orders of the court. The functionaries of the administration decided which orders of the court they will obey especially when they did not favour them. Several release orders were disobeyed, and several orders to make appearances in court were dishonoured.
  17. The Failed Anti-Corruption Crusade: The mantra on which the outgoing administration of President Buhari won the 2015 general election turned out to be the biggest scam of the administration. The level of corruption and filth even amongst those mandated to fight, investigate and prosecute cases of corruption and embezzlement of funds was alarming. Cronies stole billions, their investigation/prosecution is shrouded in secrecy, plea bargain became the other of the day and everything goes silent. Allegations of funds stolen in billions have rented the air in the few days to the end of the administration. We had a minister who was alleged to have purchased 200 sets of exotic SUVs in his home state for his followers. While not denouncing the allegation, the said minister went on public air, under an incorruptible regime, and boasted that it is not only SUVs that will be given out, but they will also give out airplanes. Properties acquired by public officers within this period will only leave mouths open in disgust. Funds committed to projects were hardly ever used for the purpose. Space would not be enough for a list of these funded but unexecuted projects. This administration failed woefully in fighting corruption. The embezzlement under the watch of the ongoing government was endemic. As a matter of fact, this administration needs to ask for forgiveness from the likes of Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd), the allegations against him is a child’s play compared to what happened under the outgoing administration.
  18. INEC’s performance in the two last elections right under the watch of the outgoing administration was below average despite the excess funds pumped into the system.
  19. The failed census despite pumping in already used 200 Billion Naira into the project.
  20. Bias for Niger Republic; The President made sarcastic statements severally about his alliance and allegiance to Niger Republic He seemed to favour Niger Republic more than Nigeria. In 2022, it was reported that the President approved the purchase and donation of vehicles, worth N1. 4 billion, to neighbouring Niger Republic which approval process was shrouded in secrecy until same was blown out by the media.
  21. A Redundant Vice Presidential Office: We will pretend as if we are not aware that the outgoing government rendered the office of the vice president a redundant office. The office was simply occupied by a person who had no powers whatsoever. Members of the kitchen cabinet were more powerful than the vice president. It was during the first 4-year tenure that the vice president was since allowed to act as president during the long absence of the President. Ever since then, Nigeria was left several without an acting President in the absence of the President.
  22. State policing: This was on the front burner of the campaign of the outgoing administration. Upon entry into office, the matter died and was hardly a topic of discussion at the federal level throughout the 8 years. Nothing changed about the police structure. It was just as it had been regrettably.
  23. Health Sector: We remember how the ACN, ANPP and CPC as opposition parties, that eventually came together to form APC, lampooned the PDP-led administration on the deteriorating medical/health situation in the country, the near-dead government-funded hospitals and health centres and the incessant strikes of medical practitioners and health workers. The word ‘Medical tourism’ became the other of the day as if it will end the day APC comes into power. Fast forward to 8 years later, the outgoing President holds the record of the Nigerian President that has stayed the highest number of days outside the country on health grounds than any other President in the history of Nigeria. The industrial strike actions of medical and health workers continued unabated. Agonizingly, the last 4 years saw the mass exodus of young medical doctors and nurses to other pastures termed greener pastures.
  24. Office of the first lady: The unconstitutionality of the office of the first lady was one of the biggest criticisms it received while PDP held sway. the APC so damaged the office that it seemed as if the wife of the president will be invisible when he comes into office. When APC came into power, the first lady said she wanted to be referred to as the ‘Wife of the President’ and not first lady. However, years into the office, when the ecstasy of power swooped in, she, by herself, without coercion or compulsion announced that she now wanted to be known as the “First Lady of Nigeria”. To cap it up, the outgoing first lady is now advocating for benefits for the office of the first lady after leaving office. You never understand power until you taste it. She tasted it and saw that it was sweet and wants to forever enjoy the benefit.
  25. Deplorable Road Condition: Our roads became inaccessible, a death trap, a kidnap hub, a robbery spot, etc. We prayed less to embark on journies in the past. Now the fear of armed robbery, kidnapping, and accidents scares the hell out of commuters even within the city. I had hoped that some of the major roads that link Nigeria across several states of the federation would be worked on. An example, one of the major highways that cut across Nigeria is the expressway from Kano State, through Kaduna State, through the Federal Capital Territory, through Kogi State, and spreading into the east and west, and southern part of Nigeria. At the least, I expected that this one major road would be repaired. Nothing was done apart from a few patches carried out by FERMA.
  26. Silencing any opposing voices: One of the tenets of democracy is the presence of opposition and critics. Unfortunately, in the last 8 years, human rights activists or anyone who dares to speak against the government was locked up, humiliated, dehumanized, stripped, charged on trumped up charges that did not see the light of the day, etc, for daring to speak up against the awful performances of government. Opposition parties were rendered redundant, dump, and ineffective. Though we must also concede that the in-house fighting of oppositions couldn’t make them a formidable force to serve as a constructive critic of the Buhari-led administration.

These are just a few of the several failed promises of the government. Time and space would not allow for the documentation

Lessons learned from the outgoing government. 

  1. Until President Buhari and his cabinet wore the shoes, they never knew or understood where or how it pinches.
  2. Until those who shouted anti-corruption saw temptation, they never knew how hard it was to see one and run away.
  3. Don’t make too much mouth about what you have never done before or office you have never occupied before.
  4. Don’t make too much mouth about what you can do. It is better to perform and at the end of the day, you show us what you can do than to make so much mouth and end up doing way worst than your predecessors.
  5. Never surround yourself with nepotic, religious, and tribalistic bias, you will never have the best results.
  6. Give ears to critics.
  7. Never follow a politician blindly. They will use you during the electioneering and dump you once in power. They are enemies to themselves by the day and friends by night. They give out their sons and daughters in marriage amongst themselves and strengthen the bond between themselves. They are mostly the same. Their performances hardly differ from each other.

Conclusion

At the end of the 8 years that have turned infamous, we can conclusively say that we don’t pray to have a regime like the outgoing regime where promises were made and they failed woefully in keeping or actualizing them. My optimism and passion for government performance fell from positive 100 to zero and then to negative 100. I can say emphatically at the end of the regime that the outgoing administration of President Buhari had absolutely nothing to offer, safe to be recorded as just another President in the history and annals of Nigeria, who gathered his cronies to loot the dwindling resources of Nigeria. It was merely a continuation of previous administrations but clothed in different regalia. The President had little to no grip over the conduct of his administration. May the Almighty bless Nigeria with leaders that we all can boldly say “you have run a good race” As the regime comes to an end, we remain hopeful for a better Nigeria in whatever direction the incoming administration might seek to push it.

Akintayo Balogun Esq., LL.B (Hons), BL, LL.M, is a legal practitioner in private practice, based in Abuja, FCT. A prolific writer, public affairs analyst, and commentator on national issues. akinson6@gmail.com

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