Did Buhari Really Deliver ‘Change’?

 By Dan Onwukwe

To be sure, the jury has been out since on the performance of Muhammadu Buhari as President. It  is in the natural course of things for an outgoing government to appraise its performance in office and score itself  ‘excellent’ . In this part of the world, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to see an administration close to the exit door, up against the wall, to accept, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, that it has underperformed.

*Buhari 

But truth is constant. It does not fudge facts or define truth downwards. Truth does not exaggerate or oversimplify matters. It simply hits the bull’s-eye. Truth says it as it is.  Truth holds those who play fast -and- loose with the facts in derision, in utter contempt. The problem with all the President’s men is that they view admitting the truth as a sign of weakness.  In the last one month, most of the President’s men, and even the President himself, have been strutting the stage, thumbing their chests over the his accomplishments. Nothing wrong with that. But what are the facts on ground? 

The President, not once, in the last couple of weeks, claimed that he has delivered ‘Change’ to Nigerians. Deep in his heart,  I am inclined to believe, that he knows, that the contrary is the case. The truth is that, he has delivered unquantifiable misery and calamity to Nigerians, not Change in the positive meaning of the word.

It’s not unkind to say that contrary to the assertions of his aides, history may not be kind to his 8-year rule as President. Few days ago, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, who I hold in utmost esteem, said Nigerians will appreciate the President after he leaves office on May 29, 2023.  

He said, “beyond those who seek to rewrite history and only remember his administration for all the wrong reasons, President Buhari will be remembered for his many achievements by fair-minded Nigerians. According to him, President Buhari has the “interest of Nigerians at heart”, and has worked assiduously for the betterment of the country with care and kindness”.        

But, life should not be about acquiring raw power, it must get beyond  vaulting ambition, to using that power to achieve great purposes for the country and the people.  Many Nigerians took Buhari at his word when he said, ‘I belong to no one…I belong to everyone’. There was so much expectations, so much optimism that he would not fail. However, it was not long, that warmth and excitement evaporated. He squandered that public trust.

 He failed to show that capacity to govern, to unite Nigerians to a common course. He divided us along ethnic lines. Worse, except  a few bright appointees, many of the troops he brought to Aso Rock came with a chip on their shoulder. They never changed. They failed to understand that the presidency doesn’t operate in a vacuum. His frequent medical tourism abroad also hampered his presidency. Any honest assessment of Buhari presidency must admit that his underwhelming performance is partly because he was, for the greater part of his tenure, entrapped by fear.

It’s fear of failure. Fear is a tormenting spirit that holds its victim captive. He allowed a ‘cabal’  to dictate the pace of governance against the overall interest of the people. Beyond this, it could be argued that Buhari’s aspiration to be president was not to make amends, but to score a point to those who ousted him as military Head of state. He was not like King David who said that he did not “aspire to things too great”, or to things that were beyond his capacity. David’s humility calmed and quieted him(Psalm 131: 2).

Looking at it from political perspectives, as historian Robert A. Caro says, “what leaders do while they are trying to get power is not necessarily what they do after they have it”. If in doubt,  where is the promise to end insecurity within six months in power? What about the fight against corruption, revamp the economy, and instil discipline and rigour in governance? They all died in the tidal wave of Change.   

Before he betrayed his own party, PDP, Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers state said, “when I hear people declaring for APC, saying the party should continue the good job of Mr President, I feel ashamed. Which good job? Good job of people dying everyday? Good job of naira falling everyday? Is hunger the good job? Is insecurity the good job of Buhari? Wike, is the enfant terrible of Nigerian politics. Also, Alhaji Buba Galadima alleged the other day that Buhari has “set Nigeria 100 years back”?

That’s what he told Arise News a few days ago. Contrary to his own claims, Buhari is not “leaving Nigeria in a better place” than he met it. He is leaving Nigeria in a terrible, unimaginable and unforgivable state than he met it. Perhaps he failed to realise that, there comes a time in the life of a leader when nobody can help him out but himself. That’s what history teaches, that only you, and no one else, can figure out how to go forward.                     

On the economy, for instance, Buhari recorded a very dismal outing. According to the World Bank, Nigeria’s economic output, measured by Gross Domestic Product(GDP), shrunk by 10 percent between 2015 and 2021. Average growth rate of Nigeria under Buhari’s presidency is less than 1.5 percent. This is below our annual population growth of over 3 percent which has increased poverty in the land. In 2015, the exchange rate to the US dollar was N157/$. Today, it’s almost N800/$. What’s the price of a bag of rice between 2015 and now?  What’s the cost of 12.5 kg of cooking gas today?  What about a litre of petrol now and 8 years ago? What’s the cost of a loaf of bread today? How many hours do we get power supply a day?                

This is the real reason why our political leaders run aground in the offices they occupy: without a vision beyond their own advancement, they find themselves paralyzed once the goal has been achieved. In other words, they don’t seek power  for great purposes. A true leader influences others and provides purpose.  With less than two weeks to leave office, the mood in the country is that of extreme anguish. It’s the pain that the Buhari administration has inflicted on Nigerians. It is an unforgettable lesson in power.

  Nigeria has since overtaken India as the poverty capital of the world.   Where is the promise by the president four years ago, to lift 10 million Nigerians out of poverty, annually or 100 million Nigerians in 10 years. Today, it’s estimated that about 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. This represents 63 percent of our population. Today, prices of food items are beyond the reach of an average Nigerian. Most Nigerians don’t even know where their next meal will come from.     

Our debt profile has increased four folds more than Buhari inherited. According to figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), the incoming President will inherit over N77trn (with the addition of CBN Ways & Means). This is an unprecedented debt stock ever left behind by a president to his successor. Just last week, the Director-General of the Budget Office Mr. Ben Akabueze, warned that Nigeria’s borrowing binge is hurting the economy as it’s exceeding its limits.

He stressed that the country now has a “limited borrowing space” due to its poor debt-to-revenue ratio. Akabueze was speaking to the newly elected and returning members of the National Assembly at their induction ceremony last Wednesday, in Abuja.  Nigeria’s misery index is also horrible. Unemployment and inflation rates have reached unacceptable proportions of over 33.3 percent and 22.4 percent, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Insecurity is increasing every day.

Perhaps what remains is for Nigerians to carry arms and start defending themselves against terrorists. It’s never been this bad in the lives of most Nigerians. It’s the worst period I have experienced in my adult life. Watching an elected government run the country aground, and make the youths to lose faith in their own country, is like Rwanda of the past. Nigeria is in trouble because her leaders have failed. But the interest of the nation must come before any personal considerations. All in all, it’s time to say goodbye. That’s Buhari’s report card in 8 years.

*Onwukwe is a commentator on public issues