Score Card: Jonathan and Buhari, Who`s The Best President?

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

In the next couple of days, the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari will be passing the mantle of power to the next president who will be ruling the country for the next 4 years. In expectations of what the next government has in plans for the citizens, Nigerians are contemplating on which government does better between the past government of Goodluck Jonathan (2010 – 2015) and the government of Muhammadu Buhari, (2015 – 2023) which he is going to hand over the government on May 29, 2023.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 – 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari who many Nigerians believed he is the messiah to take the citizens to the promise.

It would recalled that one of the reasons why many Nigerians alleged that Jonathan government failed woefully was connected to the rampant Boko Haram killings. The group sets off its first killing in June 2011 when they bomb UN headquarters in Abuja, killing more than 23 and left more than 80 injured. On the night of April 14-15, 2014, about 276 Christian female students aged between 16-18 were kidnapped by Boko Haram from Government Girls Secondary School at a town called Chibok in Borno state. Within hours of their kidnapping, 57 managed to escaped , until May 2016 that the first girl was found. Nine years after, 98 girls are still being held by Boko Haram.

Nigerians voted Jonathan out because Buhari who is a past Major General promised to bring back Chibok School Girls by using his past military rescue experience. After 8 years of Buhari as the president and the chief Army Commander, 92 chibok girls are still missing. It was reported that the parents of the abducted girls and the members of Chibok community urged president Buhari to fulfill his 2015 campaign promises.

In terms of corruption and wastage of resources, Jonathan sold petrol at N87 while Buhari is selling at average of N250 and above. Jonathan budgeted N1billion for feeding at the state house in Abuja in 2011 and N517 million in 2015 while Buhari budget N1.7 billion for feeding. Jonathan used N1.4 billion to service all presidential jets in 1 year,while Buhari used N6 billion in 6 months. According to Federal Bureau of statistics, Jonathan created over 5.8 million jobs in 5 years, while Buhari fired over 2 million workers in 8 months. In Naira exchange rate, Jonathan left dollars at N185 to $1, presently naira sells at N750 to $1.

As president Buhari is gradually packing his bags out of the presidential villa, did he fulfill his promises on infrastructures and all spheres of national life?

In 2019, president Buhari approved a special fund of 10 billion naira for the reconstruction of the Enugu Airport Runway, it was completed and reopened in August 2020. Under Buhari several bills has been passed to law including the Electoral Act Bill 2022, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria , AMCON Acts of 2019 and 2021. Nigeria Center for Diseases Control ( NCDC) Establishment Act 2018.

On infrastructure, with legislative reform, Nigeria is seeing under Buhari watch some ambitious federal infrastructure programmes, such as The Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria, which was establish in February 2021 with N1 trillion provided by Central Bank of Nigeria. Buhari administration construct 156km Lagos – Ibadan standard rail completed and commissioned. 8.72km extension to Lagos – Ibadan Rail line, to Lagos port complex, completed in2021. 186km Abuja – Kaduna Gauge Rail completed and commissioned in 2016. 327km Itakpe – Warri standard Gauge rail was completed and commissioned in 2020 after 33 years of construction. There was also full rehabilitation of the railway village , Agbor, as well as construction of a Railway Ancillary facilities yard in Agbor. Completion of E-ticketing concession process on the Abuja-Kaduna route in 2021, which generates revenue not less than N200 million to N400 million. On road constructions, presidential infrastructure development fund invested over a billion dollars in flagship projects, such as, Lagos – Ibadan expressway completion in 2022, Abuja-Zaria-Kano expressway, first phase completion in 2023. Also, completion of new terminal for International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. In addition is the Lekki sea port, the first new sea port in Nigeria in decades.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari will leave office on May 29, 2023 after completing two 4years tenure as the president. The president has his admirers, no doubt, he also has his detractors and also those that did not care if he perform well or not. Buhari fueled the perception Nigerians have towards him of being tribalist with his double standards when dealing with Militia Fulani Herders and secessionist leaders like Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho. Buhari failed in health sector, human rights and education. It would be recalled that universities students spent over 9 months at home due to strike.

The new president-elect Bola Tinubu and his cabinet have a lot of work to do. It will not be easy, and it was never meant to be. Part of what he has to focus on is uniting the nation, tackling corruption, debt management, strengthening of institutions are immediate concern because the challenges met by the president in 2015 still remain.