Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former special adviser on political
matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, says ex-president Muhammadu Buhari
was more interested in the office than governance.
Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on
Thursday, Baba-Ahmed said Buhari’s tenure was the “worst in Nigeria’s history”.
“Buhari didn’t represent the north. We saw in Buhari a
better option, not because he was a northerner but because, at the time, he was
a better option than Goodluck Jonathan,” he said.
“We thought he’d be tough on corruption and could unify the
country, because Jonathan was soft on Boko Haram, etc. But he turned out to be
the opposite.”
Responding to whether Buhari’s government was Nigeria’s
worst, Baba-Ahmed replied in the affirmative, citing his 70 years experience
and criticising the administration’s “lack of governance, care for the poor,
and priorities”.
“I don’t think we have had a government that is worse than
that of Buhari, from my experience — I’m 70 years old — yes. I haven’t seen a
government that governed less, cared less for the poor, or failed more at
setting priorities,” he said.
“I was active in his campaign. I chaired his party in my
state for four years. But months into his presidency, we saw he was more
interested in being president than actually governing.
“We started with private advice, then moved to public
criticism when it became clear he wouldn’t listen.”
Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from his position in the presidency
in March, said he has no regrets joining Tinubu’s government.
“No, I don’t regret going in. But given the current
trajectory, I wouldn’t do it again. I didn’t see the fire, the commitment, the
zeal to fix a broken country. I saw more of a façade,” he said.
“Nigerians voted for Tinubu in 2023 hoping he’d fix the
country. He removed subsidies and promised tough reforms, but he wasn’t truly
prepared.
“His advisers are scrambling to fix problems after they
emerge. There’s a major disconnect between rhetoric and reality.
“Go to Niger, Plateau, Benue — more blood is being shed now
than two years ago. Yet, they release statistics claiming there’s less
violence.
“Who gives them these numbers? Do they even know how
Nigerians are living?”
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