On May 29, 2021 the President Muhammadu Buhari administration clocked six. In simple calculation, it was the second year of his second and final term as president of Nigeria.

 

It was expected that the president will address Nigerians and display his score card in the last six years but he did not.

 

Nigerians waited patiently to hear their president explain to them the giant strides he has made in the last six years. They wanted to know from him, if he thinks by his own report card that he has fulfilled the promises he made in 2015 that made them generously dash him their votes.

They wanted his first hand explanation on whether he is satisfied with the situation of things in the country or if it is the same Nigeria he met in 2015 he is presiding over today. All that didn’t happen, leaving the people despondent. Buhari rather got into his presidential jet and went to Ghana.

But it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the President refused to give an account of his stewardship on his sixth year anniversary He has of late stayed away from important events like the burial of his late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, who passed on in a deadly plane crash last week, alongside other officers.

His unfair treatment towards those who elected him and issues of national  importance has become very obvious and he seems not to care. He has displayed a nonchalant attitude to his own people and his constitutional responsibility.

 

In assessing the Buhari administration since 2015, his handlers, die-hard supporters, most of them fanatics will be quick to say he has done well. They will point out some bogus claims that is far from reality.

They will use even projects started by the previous administration that was just completed by this government as screaming achievements. But the truth remains that Nigeria has taken many steps backwards in the last six years.

In trying to examine his six years tenure, it is easier to point out the main areas in which Buhari has failed. These are areas that needed urgent diagnosis and treatment; security, economy, corruption,power, education, health, human capacity development, etc.

It was on the strength of the seemingly visible failure of Goodluck Jonathan in these areas that made Nigerians vote him out of office. But most Nigerians know better now.

 

A quick check-off list would reveal that the challenge of insecurity seems to have overwhelmed the president. The Boko Haram insurgents are more emboldened, carrying out more vicious and deadly attacks in parts of the north.

Every week they are making a great success with the expansion of their territorial operations. What of bandits and Fulani herdsmen? From the Chibok girls saga that was used against the Jonathan administration, it has become a normal thing to kidnap innocent children from their schools in broad day light.

Fulani herdsmen are on a killing spree, especially in Benue State. The mass murder has forced the state governor, Samuel Ortom to charge the people to defend themselves by any means possible.

Just before this editorial went to bed, a former Political Adviser to former president Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak was killed like a chicken in Imo State. He was on his way to the airport according to reports when unknown gunmen, double crossed him and shot him ostensibly at close range.

 

Imo State has become a hotbed for violent and extremists crimes. Security agents are attacked and killed by hoodlums while their facilities are razed down. The same scenario is playing out in Rivers, Abia, Anambra, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Ebonyi states. No part of the country is safe now.

Buhari in his inaugural speech said: “It is a national shame that an economy of 180 million generates 4,000 MW, and distributes even less. Continuous tinkering with the structure of power supply and distribution and close to $20b expanded since 1999 have only brought darkness, frustration, misery and resignation among Nigerians. We will not allow this to go on.”

Sadly, the power situation has not changed. Despite the billions that have been invested, it still remains epileptic since 2015. Nigerians still live in darkness, running their homes and businesses with generators of different capacities.

Nigerians have not forgotten the infamous brag of Babatunde Fashola who was the Power back in the days of eternal hunger for Federal power fueled by the common desire to remove Jonathan from office.

The economy has become even worse and has won Nigeria the unfancied crown as the poverty capital of the world. Twice our economy has gone into recession in the life of the present administration. Over 100 million Nigerians are classified as extremely poor while the unemployment rate has skyrocketed.

 

The government has resorted to borrowing from foreign and domestic lenders, all to no avail. A recent figure from the Debt Management Office (DMO) showed that between July 2015 and December 2020, the Buhari administration borrowed about N20 trillion.

 

But for us, the greatest failure of Buhari is his inability to unite the country. We had thought that his “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” speech will be reflected in his conduct but no it hasn’t.

His promotion of bias and flagrant disregard of the Federal character principle is a pointer to that fact. A particular section of the country has enjoyed the President’s patronage in the allotment of public offices.

The security sector is one good example. The cries by other regions have yielded no result.
Never in the history of Nigeria have we been so disunited.

No graduate from the north wants to be posted to the south and vice versa. Our country is no longer running with the vision of our founding fathers. We have lost the path of growth.

 

Buhari has just two years, one year can only be spent on governance because the other one year will be for the politics of who takes over from him. Can he redeem himself in one or two years? It is doubtful.

For us he has failed in the last six years so there is really nothing to celebrate.

However, we will wait to see if on June 12, the new date for Nigeria’s democracy celebration set by his government, the president will address Nigerians and tell us what aspect or item in his campaign promises has been fulfilled, until then, our verdict of substantial failure of his administration is stamped.