A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Josef Onoh, has strongly criticized former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC elder accused Buhari’s administration of overseeing monumental corruption and worsening insecurity in Nigeria.
Onoh’s remarks came in response to Buhari’s recent claim that Nigeria experienced significant improvements in security and the economy under his leadership.
Buhari had stated that he inherited a struggling economy and security challenges from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which governed for 16 years before his tenure.
Reacting, Onoh rejected these claims, asserting that Nigeria witnessed an economic collapse, a rise in corruption, and unprecedented insecurity under Buhari’s leadership.
Economic hardship blamed on Buhari’s policies
Onoh argued that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is now suffering the consequences of Buhari’s economic mismanagement.
“Nigerians today accuse Tinubu’s administration of being the worst they have met without knowing that the President chose to be silent and carry his cross alone without shouting or calling names.
“He continues to navigate the economic minefields the Buhari administration left behind after they failed to frustrate him from becoming the president,” ” Onoh said.
Spate of insecurity under Buhari’s watch
Onoh also highlighted the security challenges Nigeria faced under Buhari, providing statistics on lives lost to violent attacks.
“Under Buhari’s watch, the North East, North Central, South East, and South West couldn’t sleep in peace. When you assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria, according to the NST, was 34,972. But from the day you assumed office, the death figure rose to 98,083 as of May 16, 2023,” Onoh stated.
As reported by Vanguard, he further detailed the rising death toll during Buhari’s administration:
“2015: 5,556 deaths; 2016: 5,763 deaths; 2017: 4,618 deaths; 2018: 6,565 deaths; 2019: 8,340 deaths; 2020: 9,694 deaths; 2021: 10,575 deaths; 2022: 9,079 deaths; 2023: 2,921 deaths
“You rode on the mantra of change but ended up changing Nigeria for the worst. After you failed, you turned around to blame PDP. Your continuous self-assessment begs the question: is this political pretension or genuine insensitivity?”
Onoh: Global security rankings expose failures
Onoh also pointed out that under Buhari’s administration, Nigeria was ranked among the worst in global security indices.
“In 2019, under your watch, Nigeria was ranked 3rd below Afghanistan and Iraq out of 138 countries in the Global Terrorism Index. It was also listed as the 14th most fragile country in the world and 9th in Africa,” Onoh said.
He further noted that Nigeria ranked 148th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index that year, falling behind nations like Sierra Leone (52), Liberia (59), and Rwanda (79), The Punch reported.
Foreign investments and economic collapse
Onoh also blamed Buhari’s administration for Nigeria’s dwindling foreign direct investments, linking it to his failure to handle insecurity.
“On the issue of the economy, your failure to handle insecurity created an environment in which Boko Haram extended its operations,” Onoh said. “The heightening insecurity negatively impacted business flows and investments in our nation during your tenure.”
Buhari accused of holding legacy of corruption and nepotism
Onoh concluded his criticism by highlighting alleged corruption under Buhari’s tenure.
“One of the greatest legacies Buhari’s administration left in the minds of Nigerians was the 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,” Onoh stated.
Did US authorities find $5 billion in ‘Buhari’s New York House’?
In another development, Legit.ng recalled that the former military and democratic leader in Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, left office on May 29, 2023, after eight years at the helms of affairs.
Buhari recently disclosed that he owns only three houses: one in his hometown of Daura, Katsina state, and two in Kaduna state.
However, social media posts have alleged that the FBI raided a New York house purportedly owned by the ex-leader of Nigeria.
