₦airaland Forum

Justnation:
This is the beauty of culture and one NIGERIA.

Very cool

seunlayi:
Same people that refused to allow Jonathan remove subsidy. I started using Buhari since that time. You that was one a petroleum minister in late 70s and a former head of state that supposed to know what is happening better.

By Onochie Anibeze

THERE was never a time the president said the withdrawal of oil subsidy would be in April as published in some media. I did not say so either.

The April date was the handiwork of some mischief makers.”

With these words, Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, dismissed the claim that the Federal Government reneged on the promise to remove the subsidy on petrol in April 2012 as against January 1 when it did.

Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the Coordinating Minister on the Economy, added: “It was never to my knowledge that the president gave such a date (April 2012). There is no particular time one could say was best suited for the withdrawal. It is the prerogative of the president. The important thing is that we cannot carry on the way we did in the past. It would be plunging our future into crisis.”

The minister spoke yesterday on a Radio Nigeria current affairs programme.

In her opening remarks, she said the petrol subsidy removal was to safeguard the future of Nigeria and her children. According to her, if Nigeria did not take the measures, the country would be forced to experience such hardship “that would frustrate the future of our children and we will be like some countries like Greece which kept on borrowing until they got to the crisis situation that they have found themselves”.

Okonjo-Iweala said that if Nigeria continued to borrow to run government, then crisis was imminent and the best thing was to begin to arrest the situation.

The minister asked Nigerians to understand that withdrawal of oil subsidy was just one aspect of deregulation of the industry.

Two or three callers centred their questions on the misdeeds of the past and how it will be difficult to believe that there would be genuine changes this time. The minister assured that the Jonathan government would be transparent. She spoke on other aspects of the nation’s
economy.

ON JOBS
This exercise (fuel subsidy removal) will help in creating about 370,000 jobs and this will help the problem of unemployment.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/we-didn%E2%80%99t-promise-april-date-to-remove-subsidy-%E2%80%93-okonjo-iweala/

Chinjo2:
This is how Ayade killed the dream of Donald duke.
This is the same scenario playing out in Edo State where the governor is busy destroying everything that were done by Obaseki instead of him to build on them.
Nigeria politicians are evil

ernieboy:
oga Mr economics, how is it a revenue draining project?

slivertongue:
Donald Duke's successors were not helpful to that project

benardtotti:
Libya is an Islamic country , yet value education, northern Nigeria need to sit down and ask themselves serious questions, cos as long as they don't value real education not just Arabic studies ,they can't go far .

enemyofprogress:
For 8 years, Late President Buhari did not build or upgrade any hospital in Nigeria where he could be treated. For 8 yrs, he patronized hospitals in the UK. And died in UK hospital!

Ugandan politician builds multi-million church after cancer treatment abroad: "I promised God"

Procashtips:
Unlike you, I don't rely on sponsored newsletters to decide.

Bring stats showing each sectors during Buhari's handover and what Tinubu has currently achieved.

Bring stats like this, let's compare.

Procashtips:
Na the lies wey una dey talk for naija no make Nigeria work.

The same Tinubu that hasn't stopped spending money like water in the past 2 years of becoming the president?

Nigeria's former president Buhari dies in London at 82, aide says
Africa
Nigeria’s former strongman and president Muhammadu Buhari has died at a clinic in London, one of his aides said Sunday. He was 82.

Issued on: 13/07/2025 - 18:50
Modified: 13/07/2025 - 19:07

4 minReading time

By:
FRANCE 24
/
FRANCE 24
Nigeria’s former leader Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos on January 24, 2023.
Nigeria’s former leader Muhammadu Buhari in Lagos on January 24, 2023. © Pius Utomi Ekpei, AFP/ File picture
Muhammadu Buhari, who left office in 2023 after serving two terms, made Nigerian political history as the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting president at the ballot box.

Buhari died at a clinic in London at the age of 82, his former spokesman, Garba Shehu, said in a post on social media.

Buhari’s tenure was dogged by health rumours.

He governed Nigeria with a strong hand as a military ruler in the 1980s before reinventing himself as a “converted democrat” to be elected as president decades later.

The rake-thin 82-year-old Muslim from the far north of Africa’s most populous nation made political history as the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting leader at the ballot box in 2015.

He unseated then-incumbent Goodluck Jonathan on a vow to crack down on Nigeria’s rampant corruption and end an insurgency by Boko Haram jihadists, going on to claim re-election in 2019.

Buhari’s initial win—after three failed attempts in a country where re-election for the incumbent had been taken for granted—was seen as a rare opportunity for Nigeria to change course.

But his time at the helm failed to halt graft and insecurity, and was further dogged by economic woes, ill-health and the heavy-handed treatment of protesters.

Critics accused him of nepotism, appointing his northern kinsmen to sensitive government posts which heightened suspicion and rancour in a country where regional rivalry between the north and the south is high.

Read more
Amnesty: Thousands killed in two years of violence in north and central Nigeria

‘Baba go slow’
Buhari’s first taste of power came in 1983 when he spearheaded a coup that overthrew the democratically elected president Shehu Shagari.

His government then launched a “War Against Indiscipline” as it cracked down hard on dissent and jailed what it said were corrupt politicians and businessmen.

But after just 20 months in power Buhari himself was ousted by another of the military takeovers that repeatedly plagued Nigeria until its return to democratic rule in 1999.

Unusually for a Nigerian leader, Buhari did not accumulate much wealth during his first time in charge, earning a reputation for a modest lifestyle.

While in power as a democratically elected leader, opponents dubbed him “Baba go slow” as he delayed naming a government, and he faced criticism for relying on a small group of advisors.

There was widespread speculation over his health when he spent months being treated for an unspecified ailment in London in 2017.

Failed to turn Nigeria around
Nigeria, until recently Africa’s largest economy and currently its largest oil producer, went through a recession in 2016-17 and was struggling to improve on flagging growth.

Despite what many regarded as poor performance in his first term, Buhari won re-election in 2019, thanks to massive support from his northern turf.

But his tenure in office saw little changes to Nigeria’s huge—and long-standing—problems of corruption, poverty and armed violence.

In 2020 the country was hit in a double-whammy by the coronavirus pandemic and falling crude prices that hammered government finances.

Living conditions for many remained dire through time in office, with tens of millions living in extreme poverty and young people facing crushing unemployment.

Buhari’s anti-corruption posture suffered a dent as a number of ministers who served in his government came under investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency for embezzlement.

On the security front, Buhari declared in December 2015 that Boko Haram’s jihadists—who once tried to blow him up—were “technically” defeated.

But the group and an Islamic State (IS) group affiliated offshoot still stage deadly attacks on both military targets and civilians to this day, some 2 million of who remain displaced.

In the northwest, clashes between rival ethnic groups and attacks by armed gangs saw villages torched and communities forced from their homes.

And Nigeria’s notorious security forces kept up their reputation for abuses during Buhari’s tenure, culminating in the shooting of peaceful protesters in Lagos, the economic capital.

The Nigerian army killed 350 Shiite Muslims from an opposition movement in December 2015, with many gunned down and burned alive according to rights groups.

In October 2020, Buhari faced the largest show of public anger in years as ire over police brutality erupted into widespread street protests known as “End SARS”, initially directed against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The president scrapped the notorious police unit and pledged reforms, but this failed to appease the young crowds and their demands for more sweeping change grew.

As violence flared in a string of cities, officials claimed the protests had been hijacked by criminals.

After a curfew was declared in Lagos, security forces on October 20 opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, sparking further unrest at home and condemnation abroad.

Since leaving office in 2023, Buhari moved to his native Daura. He carried out occasional visits to the city of Kaduna, where he owns a house, and continued taking trips to London for medical checks.

Shawarmagirl:
His 8 years is far above Tinubu 2 years.

Warmaterial:
so for your little mind Nigerians are not committing crimes in Europe or America? In every reasonable countries when you go against their laws they punish you according to their law not tagging everybody coming from the same country as the same and showing unnecessary hate shows that such a country is nothing but uncivilized country.

RandDigital:
After decades of drugs and yahoo, this is the result. India is next. Proof is on the NL front page everyday.

Tochi3:


..spreading hate, lies deceit & propaganda that will consume yo..

..where is she from..

Maxymilliano:
https://www.thecable.ng/gbaja-nigerians-want-roads-schools-but-criticise-budget-insertions-by-lawmakers/

Blackman101:
Nigerian should face the fact that these people don't need us in their country. The sooner we leave the country alone and focus out attention on the development of Nigeria the better.

Tychost:
This is a cultural problem, and it’s only getting worse with the new generation. For all the good many Nigerians do abroad, a few untrained bunch has brought too much shame to the country. And we all dance around the issue and finger point but we know a strong hand as regarding migration and responsible community leaders is what’s needed. The news coming out of India these days and the increase in street corner activities in Thailand is not encouraging at all. I have met people who swear I’m not Nigerian just because I approach and treat them with respect. It really raises the question why are the worst Nigerians representing us globally?

Olaide1295:
Effect of those people carrying drugs and engaging in cultism in a foreign land. Reminds me of the eastern cultist boys that killed someone in Sharjah.
Has nothing to do with diplomacy. They have evidence of Nigerians who are there and have behaved unr

Arostar2023:
Na so! As expected go blame Easterners for all Nigerian woes. Tomorrow una go still vote inept leaders out of tribalism. Because una no know say leadership has far reaching effects...And finally, I suppose all the people from other nations in UAE are all well behaved? Na only Nigerians be the bad people in UAE.

Okus114:
Aaaah!
What a time to be a Nigerian!
Only God knows what the next 2 years has in store for us!

Kurumaru:
VERY VERY IMPORTANT.. SAME WITH THE WICKED NAIRA FLOAT.. WE WILL STAND BY WHOEVER WILL REVERSE ALL DRACONIAN POLICIES MADE BY THIS ADMINISTRATION.

ezekins:
The governor is among those deceiving Nigerians. The removal of subsidy was done in order to suffer the masses. I don't believe there's anything like subsidy. What we call subsidy today is the difference between international price of fuel and local price of fuel, now it is wrong for the government of Nigeria to make the people in Nigeria pay international price of fuel and at the same time pay local wages or salaries to people resident in Nigeria.

Again, the government of tinubu devalued naira through his policy of naira float from # 460 per dollar official rate to around # 1600 per dollar, thereby grossly lessening the purchasing power of the people.

Not stopping at that, there is increased drive for tax collection, still aiming at collecting more from the people.

Payment of customs duty is pegged at dollar exchange rate which is affected by Naira float, still the government is comfortable with that.

What is the rational behind the calculation of customs duty with dollar rate whereas Nigerians are paid with naira.

Let the government equate monthly salary to dollar then tell us how countries are paying that in their country.

To my opinion, it is wickedness in the highest order for this government to aggravate the sufferings of the people and still remain comfortable because they have more money to embezzle.

Kukutente23:
The reforms have not been perfect for Nigerians. Maybe for the govt of Nigeria.

GEJ failed in his attempt to remove fuel subsidies because those who occupy govt today organised resistance to it. You can't blame GEJ for people who chose to sabotage his govt when they have no better ideas to run govt.

Check it out. When GEJ wanted to remove fuel subsidy, our inflation was at 7%, minimum wage was $122, and exchange rate was N155 to$1

Fuel price was expected to move from N85 to N145 which is less than 100% increase. It was strongly resisted then.

In 2023 when Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy, inflation was at 27%, minimum wage was $45, exchange rate was N460 to $1. More importantly, his removal of subsidy led to over 300% increase in fuel price from N189 to N620.

Naira was under managed float from 2002-2014 and it moved from N105 to N216, just slightly above 100% within that 12 year period.

In 2 years that Tinubu claimed to have floated the naira, it has moved from N460 to N1800 and presently at N1500. That's over 400% depreciation within a 2 year period.

So it's obvious who managed the economy with skill and competence and who is mismanaging it with lies and propaganda

DeepSight:
Maybe you are still young, if you were older you will understand that anything thereby saved has since been relooted and will still be looted.
The reforms have been disastrous for Nigerians.

Kukutente23:
Let us wait and see what the figures will bring
Nigeria's economy has taken serious battering under the incompetent people
WB even had to warn them after they released the inflation figures to stop cooking data and figures
I guess that's why the GDP rebasing took so long

cenaman:
Having the biggest GDP in the continent does it translate to the citizens living in prosperity?

SmartPolician:
Lagos State needs a massive urban renewal programme. Many parts of the mainland are due for demolition and rebuilding.

Fashola and Ambode have transformed Oshodi. Sanwo-Olu and his successors should focus on other areas of Lagos, including Mushin, Ebute Meta, etc. Lagos is too rich to have too many slums.

Mariangeles:
Honestly, there are men that can transform Nigeria within just one term, but strong men that have held this country bound wouldn't let them near the presidency.

For example, if Osibanjo had succeeded that disaster in the name of Buhari, we wouldn't be where we are today.

saphiere:
Dirty environment. Come to Port Harcourt and see neatness.

If He (Ben Bruce), is a Yoruba or Huasa man they won't rush to sell, AMCON would have delayed sales for 3 decades undecided undecided

Afrobasic:
You are absolutely right. This country is for SW and North. SS and SE are outsiders.

One day sha. This contraption would eventually collapse.

SalamRushdie:
Hmmmmm

LagosOrigin:
Tinubu suporters have been having sleepless night since this coalition

They no longer sleep o

Just see the two night workers above spitting everywhere 😂😂 😂

SalamRushdie:
Ukrainians are very mean to mercenaries , I hope they don't kill him