Buhari 

Josef Onoh, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has slammed former President, Muhammadu Buhari, over his recent claims that Nigeria experienced improvements in security and economic stability under his administration.

In a statement released on Friday, Onoh described Buhari’s tenure as a period marked by “monumental corruption, economic collapse, and widespread insecurity.”

He accused the former president of leaving a legacy of hardship that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu is struggling to manage.

Buhari had earlier stated that he inherited a failing economy and severe security challenges from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which governed for 16 years before the APC took over in 2015.

He insisted that his administration tackled these problems effectively.

However, Onoh rejected Buhari’s assertions, arguing that Nigeria’s security situation worsened significantly during his time in office.

“Under Buhari’s watch, the North East, North Central, South East, and South West could not sleep in peace. When he assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria was 34,972. By the time he left, the figure had skyrocketed to 98,083,” Onoh stated.

Providing further statistics, he noted that between 2015 and 2023, 63,111 Nigerians were killed due to violent conflicts, insurgency, and insecurity.

“Nigeria has never witnessed the level of insecurity seen under Buhari’s administration—not even during the Civil War,” Onoh added.

He also blamed Buhari’s economic policies for Nigeria’s current financial struggles, asserting that Tinubu inherited “economic minefields” left behind by the former president.

“Nigerians today accuse Tinubu’s administration of being the worst they have met, not knowing that he chose to be silent and carry his cross alone without blaming his predecessor,” Onoh said.

According to Onoh, under Buhari’s administration, Nigeria ranked high in the Global Terrorism Index and performed poorly in the Global Peace Index.

The statement read, “In 2019, under your watch, Nigeria was ranked 3rd below Afghanistan and Iraq out of 138 countries in the Global Terrorism Index and was said to be the 14th most fragile in the world and the 9th in Africa, according to the Fragile States Index. Unsurprisingly, in the same year, our country was also ranked 148th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index, far below former war-ravaged countries like Sierra Leone (52), Liberia (59) and Rwanda (79).

Onoh alleged that under Buhari’s watch, attacks and reprisal attacks continued in states like Kaduna with accusations of ethnic cleansing and mismanagement of religious and cultural diversity today.

He noted that Tinubu’s administration has brought peace to southern Kaduna.

“Your insensitivity and ineffectiveness of your security chiefs were part of the reason for the spread of insecurity that allowed these groups to operate with impunity while you displayed ‘the failure or unwillingness while in authority to address these and other non-state actors and to secure ungoverned spaces, which cumulatively allowed the violence to mutate.”

Onoh further alleged that Buhari failed to handle the economy and insecurity, which affected the country’s attraction for foreign direct investment.

According to him, “On the issue of economy, your failure to handle insecurity created an environment in which Boko Haram extended its operations’. The heightening insecurity continued to impact negatively on the business environment and business flows of our nation during your tenure.”

He said, “Under your watch, one of the biggest fish markets in West Africa, located in Baga near the Lake Chad basin in North East Nigeria, has long been abandoned due to the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency and only under Tinubu’s administration has life gradually started coming back.

“Without prejudice, I maintain that in any fair assessment of Buhari’s administration, either by himself or even artificial intelligence, he must take these facts into consideration before giving false credits to his elapsed administration or himself. He should always remember these staggering statistics i have provided clearly have a verifiable impact on the direction of investment decisions, whether foreign or local,” Onoh added.

“In the end, it affected both the perception of Nigeria globally and the reality of citizens’ livelihoods in our oil-rich country, which today Tinubu’s administration is paying the price of his ineptitude.

“Finally, one of the greatest legacies the Buhari administration left in the minds of Nigeria as its greatest contribution to the economy was a success story of a recharge card seller turned billionaire overnight and a serving Central Bank governor running for president from the comfort of his office using public funds.

“Your administration yesterday introduced “Ranka ya Dede Nepotism”, today, it’s “Emilokan”, tomorrow it might be “igbo kwenu” and what will be next tomorrow’s catchphrase. Because your 8 years in office was truly the las vegas of insecurity and corruption”.

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