Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Vice President Kashim Shettima, has harshly criticized the performance of former President Muhammadu Buhari, calling his term the “worst in Nigeria’s history.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Thursday, Baba-Ahmed bemoaned the administration’s shortcomings and charged Buhari of putting the position before governance.
Baba-Ahmed was said to have expressed his disenchantment with the government, despite having initially backed Buhari’s ascent to office.
Although a large number of Nigerians backed Buhari over former President Goodluck Jonathan because they believed he would be able to unite the nation and fight corruption, he expressed disappointment with his leadership style.
Buhari was not a representative of the north. We saw Buhari as a better alternative because, at the time, he seemed like a better option than Goodluck Jonathan, not because he was from the north, Baba-Ahmed stated.
“We believed he would be tough on corruption and able to bring the nation together, as Jonathan was lenient toward Boko Haram, etc.,” he added. He proved to be the contrary, though.
Without holding back, Baba-Ahmed declared Buhari’s administration to be the worst in Nigerian history. He drew on his seventy years of experience to argue that Buhari’s administration neglected governance and neglected to put the needs of the impoverished first.
According to my experience, which I have as a 70-year-old, we haven’t had a government worse than Buhari’s. Baba-Ahmed said, “I haven’t seen a government that neglected the poor, governed less, or failed more at setting priorities.”
In retrospect, Baba-Ahmed said that he had great expectations for the administration after first supporting Buhari but quickly realized the President was more concerned with maintaining his office’s status than with providing effective governance.
In his campaign, I participated actively. For four years I chaired his party in my state. But after a few months in office, it became clear that he was more concerned with holding the office than with running the government.
He disclosed, “We began with private advice, then shifted to public criticism when it became evident he wouldn’t listen.”
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In response to a question concerning his tenure in the Tinubu administration, Baba-Ahmed said that while he had no regrets about entering the government, he would rethink his choice in light of the leadership’s present course.
“No, I’m not sorry I entered. Yet, considering the present course, I wouldn’t repeat it. I failed to witness the passion, dedication, and fervor to rebuild a fragmented nation. More of a façade, I thought,” he said.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s audacious pledges to eliminate subsidies and enact strict reforms after the 2023 elections, Baba-Ahmed noted that these measures lacked sufficient planning.
The expectation that Tinubu will improve the nation led Nigerians to vote for him in 2023. Although he pledged strict reforms and eliminated subsidies, he wasn’t really ready. His advisors are working feverishly to address issues as they arise. “Rhetoric and reality are very different,” Baba-Ahmed clarified.
The nation’s rising insecurity, especially in states like Niger, Plateau, and Benue, was another issue Baba-Ahmed brought up.
He criticized the administration for failing to confront the rising violence despite releasing contradictory figures that suggested violence had decreased.
There is more blood being shed now than there was two years ago; visit Niger, Plateau, and Benue. But they publish figures that say there is less violence. To whom are these numbers given? He questioned, “Are they even aware of the way Nigerians live?”
