In the past years, some top officials in the Buhari government have insisted that the Nigerian economy would have gone into a free fall if the Peoples Democratic Party had won that year’s presidential election. Recall that last year Presidential Spokesman Femi Adeshina stressed that Buhari’s victory in 2015 saved Nigeria from collapse. He noted that the country was spiralling out of control until Buhari stepped in as President....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The same line has been repeated several times by Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed. And just recently, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malani insisted that the Nigerian economy would have collapsed but for Buhari. Specifically, he said that Buhari rescued Nigeria from destruction.
That means, if Buhari had not won the 2015 election, things would have become so bad in the country that Nigeria would probably have become a failed state or would become bankrupt.
Are these facts or mere speculations?
To be honest, In 2015 when Buhari took over the reins of power, there were so much tension and division in the country. The polity was so tensed up that some foreign organisations predicted that the country would probably cease to exist. Their prediction was based on the high level of insecurity in the country, political tension and a sagging domestic economy which made many Nigerians lose hope.
It is for that reason that millions of Nigerians wanted Jonathan and the PDP out so desperately. They poured out in their millions to enthusiastically vote for Buhari to salvage the situation and rescue the country.
But almost seven years after not much has changed under Buhari’s leadership. Every major socio-economic indicator is as it was in 2015 or worse. Insecurity has increased, the level of political tension and division in the country is still high and the economy is yet to improve.
In essence, all the factors for which many feared could lead to a collapse of the economy are still present, yet the country has not collapsed. Nigeria still stands as a united entity, it is neither bankrupt nor a failed state.
What that means is that there is no strong evidence to back up the claims that Nigeria could have collapsed if not for Buhari. The administration has not done anything significantly different from PDP. At best, the claims were mere political statements made by the administration to probably demonise Jonathan and the PDP and blame them for the problems plaguing the country.
Indeed, the PDP may have failed to deliver the dividends of democracy in its 16 years of being in charge.
But Nigerians wanted to change that is why they voted for the All Progressives Congress in 2015, but except the party quit the blame game and get down to the business of delivering results, it might end up like the PDP which was booted out of power.
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