Buhari set Nigeria five decades backward — Clark

Elder Statesman and Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, has said that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari set the country back five decades in his eight years in office.

Clark said the Buhari administration failed abysmally, lacked direction, was full of insecurity and recorded economic collapse.

The South-South leader made the statement in reaction to the launching of a book “Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023)”  written by Buhari's former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The book was presented alongside five volumes of another book titled, “Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Legacy, 2015-2023”.

In a statement dated Thursday, January 18, 2024, Clark faulted the former President for eulogising his achievements during the book launch, adding that his eulogising was contrary to citizens' assessment of his tenure in office.

“What struck me most was the attitude and statement of former President Buhari, who eulogised his achievements as President of the country during the occasion. This, I must say, is contrary to the assessment of the majority of Nigerians of his administration.

To most of us as Nigerians, Muhammadu Buhari failed abysmally as President. His administration was full of insecurity, economic collapse, injustice, religious bigotry and lack of direction. The eight years of his administration plunged Nigeria and Nigerians five decades backwards. Even his successor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noted as much in his speech at the time when Buhari was eulogising himself,” he said.

In a shared 12-page statement he had earlier written on the eve of former President Buhari's exit from office on May 28, 2023, Clark stated that he (Buhari) was bequeathing a “bouquet of unfulfilled promises, divided nation, and myriad of critical federal infrastructural projects in shameful states, especially roads, and particularly in the Niger Delta region”.

He added that President Buhari's eight-year tenure was unjust, biased, and nepotistic and said it was “a period of complete and total retrogression.”