Former president Muhammadu Buhari, we are not cows, hence cannot be controlled easily.

In the realm of responsible leadership, accountability and action-taking are crucial attributes. Leaders who prioritize accountability address issues directly, rather than deflecting blame onto others. Unfortunately, in this part of the world, leaders evade responsibility and burden the masses with their own leadership failures. Former President Muhammadu Buhari's repeated attempts to lead Nigeria should have equipped him with an understanding of the complex nature of the Nigerian people and the responsibilities of the presidency. His leadership shortcomings undeniably affected various aspects of Nigerian society.


Nigeria is a Multidimensional nation, characterized by its diversity in language, religion, customs, approaches, and beliefs. Any leader must recognize the immense challenge of governing such a multifaceted population. Consequently, there can be no excuse for leadership incompetence or shifting blame onto the masses.


Security Challenges:

During his campaign, Buhari pledged to address the security challenges plaguing Nigeria, specifically the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast. He promised to reorganize and equip the military to combat terrorism effectively and restore peace. While progress was made in countering Boko Haram, other security issues such as banditry, kidnapping, and herder-farmer conflicts escalated and persisted in various regions. Buhari's inability to effectively curb these security challenges raises concerns about his leadership in this critical area.


Corruption Fight:

Buhari campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, vowing to combat pervasive corruption in Nigeria. He promised to recover stolen public funds, prosecute corrupt individuals, and implement policies to enhance transparency and accountability. However, his anti-corruption efforts seemed more like a witch-hunting crusade, targeting his political adversaries. Moreover, despite openly criticizing petrol subsidy payments as a scam, these payments continued under his watch without transparency or accountability. Granting state pardons to convicted politicians involved in corruption further undermined the credibility of his anti-corruption campaign.


Economic Diversification:

One of Buhari's key pledges was to diversify Nigeria's economy, reducing its dependence on oil revenues and promoting sectors such as agriculture, solid minerals, and manufacturing. He aimed to create jobs, improve infrastructure, and attract foreign investments. However, Nigeria remained heavily reliant on oil revenues throughout his tenure. The country faced significant economic challenges, including insufficient investment in non-oil sectors, inadequate infrastructure, and limited progress in promoting manufacturing and solid minerals.


Power Supply:

Another promise made by Buhari was to address chronic power shortages and improve the electricity sector. His goal was to increase power generation, transmission, and distribution to ensure a stable electricity supply across Nigeria. Unfortunately, persistent electricity shortages continued to plague the nation. Insufficient generation capacity, transmission challenges, and distribution inefficiencies hampered progress in achieving the goal of providing stable and reliable power to all Nigerians.


Education and Healthcare:

Buhari vowed to prioritize education and healthcare. However, the educational sector still faces challenges such as inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and low-quality education. Investment in education and improving the quality of schools remained unfulfilled promises. Similarly, the healthcare system experienced significant challenges, with limited access to quality healthcare services, particularly in rural areas. The goal of achieving universal healthcare coverage and implementing effective health insurance schemes for all Nigerians was never realized.


Infrastructure Development:

Recognizing the importance of critical infrastructure, such as roads, railways, airports, and ports, Buhari emphasized the need for investment in these areas to facilitate economic growth and development. However, the pace of implementation and completion fell short of expectations. Delays and funding constraints hindered the transformation of transportation networks, including road, rail, and airport infrastructure.


Job Creation and Petroleum Sector Reform:

Promoting job creation and reforming the petroleum sector were among Buhari's promises. He aimed to support entrepreneurship, assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and attract investments to generate job opportunities for Nigerian youth. Unfortunately, Nigeria continued to face high unemployment rates, and the promised twenty thousand job opportunities annually for youths remained elusive. Moreover, comprehensive reforms in the petroleum sector, particularly within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), were not fully realized. The persisting issue of fuel subsidy highlighted the incomplete nature of the reforms.


Given the unfulfilled promises and shortcomings of Muhammadu Buhari's leadership, it is only right for Nigerians to hold him accountable. Shifting blame onto the Nigerian people and regarding them as easily controlled cows is morally unjustifiable. Now that Buhari has returned to his country home of Daura, it is our hope that he can contribute positively to the nation's progress as an elder statesman and observer. The challenges Nigeria faces in various sectors necessitate strong and accountable leadership that prioritizes the welfare and advancement of its diverse population.

Olutoye Emmanuel. ayomayowa0624@gmail.com 

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