Today is President Muhammadu Buhari’s last day in office. He has apologized to Nigerians for some of the choices he made that caused them pain and sorrow.
But Buhari, who will hand over power today to President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, gave himself a passing grade by saying that Nigeria is better off than it was when he took office in 2015.
Even as he did this, he said he was sorry that his government hadn’t been able to save all of the children still in captivity and that he cried with the parents, friends, and family of everyone who had lost a loved one because of needless brigandage and violence.
Buhari told Nigerians these things in his goodbye speech as he left office after running the country for eight years.
As Tinubu takes over, there are a lot of hopes and demands. The Yoruba Council of Elders, or YCE, gave reasons why Tinubu needs to rebuild the country right away.
This was because the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, or CBCN, gave Buhari a very low score for dealing with insecurity. However, they gave him high marks for infrastructure, finishing the Second Niger Bridge, and approving Lux Mundi University. Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman, called Buhari Nigeria’s worst president.
Also, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) told Tinubu not to remove the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which is more commonly known as gasoline, too quickly because it could have negative effects on the economy. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) told Tinubu to be ready for problems with labor because Buhari didn’t settle most labor disputes.
Buhari’s apology
Buhari apologized for policies that made life hard for Nigerians. He said, “In the process of changing the economy, we made some hard choices, but most of them led to the results we wanted.” Some of the measures caused brief pain and suffering, and I’m sorry to my fellow citizens for that. However, the measures were taken for the good of the country as a whole.
“Even now, I still feel sad for our children who are still in captivity. I also feel sad for all the parents, friends, and family members who lost loved ones during the days of pointless violence and brigandage. Our security services work around the clock to make sure that everyone who is being held against their will is freed without harm.
“We have done a lot to make sure that everyone in Nigeria lives in a safe and secure atmosphere. As my time in office comes to an end, we have been able to cut down on crimes like banditry, terrorism, armed robbery, and many others.
“As I go home to Daura, Katsina State, I feel happy that we have started the Nigeria Re-Birth by taking the first important steps. I am sure that the next government will speed up this process so that Nigeria can become the great country it was meant to be. I am sure that Nigeria will be better in 2023 than it was in 2015.”
Buhari told Nigerians to use the power of togetherness to their advantage by working together with one mind and one goal.
Buhari said, “As your President, I call on all of us to use the strength of our individualism, the power of our unity, and the convictions of our beliefs to make Nigeria work better and together with one spirit and one goal.”
“To my brother, friend, and co-worker in politics for the past 10 years, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I want to say congratulations on the realization of your dream, which was driven by a burning desire to make Nigeria one of the world’s best countries.
