The Buhari administration, which began in 2015, is gradually winding to a close. Looking back, one cannot but see that the administration presided over by Buhari has had several notable legacies, especially in the areas of combatting corruption, instituting poverty-alleviating economic policies, building infrastructure to drive national development, fighting insurgency, human rights, poverty reduction and Power sector reform.

The Buhari administration came to power on the promise to combat corruption as one of its major priorities. While the jury is still out on whether the government did well on this, the fact cannot be denied that Buhari took unprecedented steps in recovering Nigeria’s stolen funds and in prosecuting Nigeria’s corrupt officials. Not minding whether many would attest to the success or failure of this, Nigeria certainly recovered billions of dollars stolen by the nation’s erstwhile leaders and convicted many high-profile individuals, the most notable being Nigeria’s former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Just as the above is difficult to deny, it is equally difficult to say that corruption has been stemmed in Nigeria. To many, corruption remains a pervasive problem in Nigeria, and many argued that the Buhari government could have done more in addressing the problem at all levels of society.

Another major area of focus of the Buhari administration is economic growth. From its inception, the government designed and implemented economic policies aimed at improving the economy. These measures include efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy away from heavy reliance on crude oil exports and to increase agricultural production by incentivizing local agricultural production. Under Buhari, Nigeria emerged as one of best ten rice-producing nations globally, and the leader in rice-production in Africa. Border closure to varieties of agricultural products and luxury goods contributed immensely to agricultural production and the diversification of Nigeria’s economy.

Infrastructural development is another key area of focus for the administration. With heavy investment in road, rail, and harbor construction, the government superintend over newly built or reconstructed roads, airports, and railway lines. The last time a meaningful railway service was enjoyed anywhere in Nigeria, was 40 years ago. The much talked about construction of the Second Niger Bridge, which had witnessed series of promises without anything done to show for billions of dollars purportedly spent on the project, was brought to fruition by the Buhari administration.

As of writing this piece, President Buhari was in Lagos, flagging off operations of the Lekki Deep Sea Port; 32-Metric Tones Lagos Rice Mill, Imota; 18.75km Eleko to Epe T Junction Express road; John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, Blue Line Rail (Phase 1) commissioning (Marina to Mile 2); Groundbreaking for the Blue Line Rail Phase 2 (Mile 2 to Okokomaiko), and MRS Lubricant, a private project in Apapa. Work is also completed on the Dangote Refinery, an oil refinery owned by Aliko Dangote, which will be inaugurated the first quarter of 2023. The refinery, located in Lekki, will produced 650,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-President of Nigeria

The twin problems of economic recession and Covid-19 combined to rob Nigeria of the huge contributions of the Buhari administration to the economy. It is in this area that most critics of the Buhari administration have been most virulent, with many noting the huge loans used in facilitating these projects and the country’s continuing lack of adequate electrical infrastructure and water supply, both of which are crucial to national economic growth. Notwithstanding these criticisms, Buhari’s economic policies significantly led to improvement in Nigeria’s GDP growth and inflation reduction, significantly improved transportation and connectivity.

Electrical power generation and distribution is significant to economic growth. Given its saliency, the Buhari administration made attempts to improve the power sector by privatizing the sector. Despite its best efforts, power supply remains inadequate and unreliable, and this continues to be a major obstacle to economic growth.

Poverty reduction was also a priority for the Buhari administration. The government has introduced poverty reduction programs to alleviate poverty and help to reduce inequality. These programs have been successful in reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty, but poverty remains a major problem in Nigeria, particularly in rural areas.

A careful look at Nigeria’s security situation since 2015 also showed significant progress. Since coming to office, the Buhari administration have not only taken the fight to Boko Haram and other militant groups in the country, but also increased military spending and improved coordination between security forces. These have led to the degrading of Boko Haram, the recapturing of territories previously controlled by the militants, the fractionalization of other militant groups, etc. Notwithstanding these achievements, the security situation in Nigeria remains precarious and fragile, as the government is yet to significantly address the underlying socio-economic causes of militancy and insurgency.

Human rights have also been a major concern during the Buhari administration. The government has been criticized for its handling of human rights issues, including accusations of human rights violations by security forces and restriction of press freedom. The government has denied these accusations and has argued that it is taking steps to improve the human rights situation in the country.

Overall, the Buhari administration has made progress in some areas, but it still faces many challenges in other areas such as the eradication of corruption, poverty, and underdevelopment. The fight against corruption and insurgency, as well as infrastructure development and poverty reduction, have been some of the major successes of the Buhari administration. However, the country still faces major challenges in areas such as the economy, human rights, and power sector reform.

With the Presidential election planned for early 2023, the in-coming government must pick up the gauntlet by building on the areas for which Buhari had recorded tremendous successes and continue to work to address those areas where Buhari was found wanting, as only the best is good for Nigerians.