Why Buhari Was Nigeria’s Worst President – Baba-Ahmed

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, did not hold back in his assessment of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, describing it as the worst Nigeria has ever experienced.

Baba-Ahmed, a seasoned political figure with deep ties to Buhari’s rise to power, declared that the former president’s eight-year rule was characterised by indifference, poor governance, and a shocking lack of prioritisation.

“From my experience — I’m 70 years old — I haven’t seen a government that governed less, cared less for the poor, or failed more at setting priorities,” he stated firmly.

According to him, many northern leaders supported Buhari not solely due to regional loyalty but because they saw him as a preferable alternative to then-President Goodluck Jonathan. “We thought he’d be tough on corruption and could unify the country,” Baba-Ahmed explained. “But he turned out to be the opposite.”

The former adviser claimed that Buhari seemed more enamoured with the prestige of the presidency than the responsibilities that came with it. “Months into his presidency, we realised he was more interested in being president than actually governing,” he said. “We started with private advice, then moved to public criticism when it became clear he wouldn’t listen.”

Having chaired Buhari’s political party in his state for four years, Baba-Ahmed’s remarks reflect deep disillusionment with a leader he once championed.

Turning his attention to the current administration, Baba-Ahmed, who resigned from the Tinubu government in March, said he regrets joining but wouldn’t make the same choice again.

“I didn’t see the fire, the commitment, the zeal to fix a broken country,” he said. “I saw more of a façade.”

He criticised what he described as a reactive and uncoordinated style of governance under President Bola Tinubu, accusing the administration of releasing misleading statistics and failing to confront the harsh realities Nigerians face.

“Go to Niger, Plateau, Benue — more blood is being shed now than two years ago,” he asserted. “Yet they release statistics claiming there’s less violence. Who gives them these numbers? Do they even know how Nigerians are living?”