On May 29, President Muhammadu Buhari will step down after eight years in office and be succeeded by Bola Tinubu. His supporters refer to him as the “greatest President,” while his detractors refer to him in less flattering terms.
The DailyPost examined the most contentious occasions in President Buhari’s eight years tenure in this article.
Shutdown of border
About three months after the commencement of the second term of his administration, President Buhari ordered the shutdown of the Nation’s land borders to curb the smuggling of produce from neighbouring countries.
This policy instantly impacted the prices of food, particularly rice, and cars. While the administration credits the policy for the “rice revolution,” however, to many Nigerians, the policy is tagged “anti-trade” policy.
EndSARS- Lekki Toll Gate
October 20 Lekki Toll Gate event is perhaps the most controversial military carried. The Army carried out a massacre against young Nigerians protesting police brutality.
The EndSARS protesters have since transformed into a powerful movement that played a significant role in the just concluded election.
Some government supporters believe the shooting was a hoax by critics to discredit the government. As a result, this event ranks highest on the list of controversial issues.
Twitter ban
For over six months, Nigerians depended on VPN to access Twitter following the controversial ban of the platform by President Buhari.
Tw, it had deleted a post by Buhari that many, particularly from the Southeast, deemed offensive.
“Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,”
Buhari said regarding agitators in the Southeast. The month ban was challenging for many who relied on the platform for economics, who used it to paternalists for gathering news.
Invasion of judges’ houses
On March 6, 2016, men of Nigeria’s secret police invaded the homes of several senior judicial officers in a Gestapo manner.
During the invasion, the authorities invaded the houses of two Supreme Court Justices, Walter Onnoghen and Sylvester Ngwuta. They also arrested Adeniyi Ademola, a former federal High Court Justice, while Nnamdi Dimgba’s house was also searched.
While the administration tagged it as a fight against corruption in the judiciary, the backlash was loud from Nigerians, who saw the move as clamping down on the court.
Invasion of Nnamdi Kanu House
In the Southeast zone, the government is sharing its authority with non-state actors that have successfully.” y made Mondays a “public holiday.” As a result, the region has become a killing field and a gigantic kidnappers’ den.
The origin of the situation in the Southeast could be traced to the invasion of the house of Nnamdi Kanu in 2017.
The invasion happened barely 24 hours after the Nigerian Army announced the start of its second phase of Operation Python Dance II in the South-Eastern states.
Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), subsequently eloped, and the crisis in the region increased. His forced reparation and incarceration have exacerbated the insecurity in the area. President Buhari has rejected every plea for the release of Kanu.
Nomination of dead people
In 2017, Buhari nominated about six dead persons for appointments— perhaps a possible record.
Some of the persons nominated include— Francis Okpozo, a senator in the second republic; Donald Ugbaja, a retired deputy inspector-general of police; and Ahmed Bunza, former sole administrator of Jega Local Government Area of Kebbi state.
Others were Christopher Utov, a former proprietor of Fidei Polytechnic, Gboko, and Kabir Umar, a former emir of Katagum in Bauchi state.
Shi’a El-Zakzaky
An incident involving the former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai’s convoy, reportedly left over 1,000 Shi’a members dead and the arrest of Its leader, Ibrahim Elzakzaky and his wife. In addition, the controversial Elzakzaky allegedly lost some of his children to the confrontation.
El-Zakzaky’s detention alongside his wife for years led to protests by his followers and sometimes confrontations with police operatives.
Invasion of National Assembly by DSS
Once upon a time, Lawal Daura, an influential figure, headed the DSS and ordered a siege of the National Assembly complex in Abuja. However, the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, disapproved of the invasion. Therefore, Osinbajo subsequently arrested and removed Daura from office.
Despite the action taken by Osinbajo, the daring move by the secret police was a direct insult to the legislature.
Naira scarcity
For about two months, Nigerians grappled with crippling Naira scarcity caused by the redesigning of the Naira by the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The weakened policy’s lure nearly devastated the economy, resulting in some Nigerians’ deaths, banks burning tanks, and almost leading to a violent uprising. The situation made the nation tense, prompting the Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on the policy.
The policy even divided the ruling party, with speculation that deep state actors were planning a hostile takeover of the government. Within this period, Nigerians experienced hardship.
cc: Daily Post Ng
