In one month, the eight-year presidency of President Muhammadu Buhari will come to an end. On May 29, he’ll leave for home.
In 2015, Buhari was elected president amid growing optimism that he would be a messianic figure who could save the nation from decline.
He rode into power on a platform of change, promising Nigerians a better deal than that which the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan,’s administration, provided the nation.
According to the administration, it was one of the best things that had ever happened to the nation. The government claimed on numerous times that it had kept most, if not all, of the promises it had made to Nigerians throughout its campaigns.
Although there are differing views on whether the administration has fulfilled its commitment to the people, Buhari has always insisted that it has outperformed earlier administrations.
Buhari, however, stirred much controversy last Friday as his term came to a conclusion by requesting forgiveness from Nigerians harmed by his policies.
According to Obasanjo News24, Buhari requested forgiveness from Nigerians, particularly from those who could have been offended by his performance of his duties.
While welcoming the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja population to his final Sallah celebration as president at the Presidential Villa, Buhari made an apparent sincere apology.
Buhari praised himself as a fortunate and successful politician while thanking the populace for “tolerating” his eight-year rule. He recalled his time as a military governor, minister of petroleum resources, and head of state.
“I believe it is a perfect opportunity to say farewell and thank you for putting up with me for more than seven and a half years.
“I genuinely believe that I am extraordinarily fortunate. I was appointed governor, minister of petroleum, and head of state while wearing a uniform, and after three failed efforts, God, via technology and PVC, made me president. I believe God has blessed me with a wonderful opportunity to lead your organization as president. I give God praise for that.
So, anyone believes that I have wronged them, just remember that we are all just people. It’s undeniable that I harmed some people, and I sincerely hope you will forgive me. And those who believe I have deeply injured them, I humbly ask your forgiveness,” he continued.
Nigerians have responded to his apologies in a variety of ways.
Charly Boy, a renowned veteran singer from Nigeria, criticized Buhari for pleading for pardon after “deliberately mismanaging” the nation for eight years.
In a tweet, Charly Boy claimed that the All Progressives Congress, APC, cabals under Buhari’s leadership had purposely and consciously mishandled the nation during the last eight years with impunity and vigor.
The African Action Congress, AAC’s presidential candidate in the recently held general election of 2023, Omoyole Sowore, agreed that the President’s apology should be rejected.
Sowore claimed that the president’s unfavorable actions not only damaged Nigeria but also diminished its people.
“You destroyed businesses, you killed innocent people, you wrecked the educational system, and you denied the sick and elderly the chance to receive medical care.” You wrongfully detained and jailed a lot of people, Sowore tweeted.
In response to the situation, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) asserted that President Buhari could only win Nigerians’ forgiveness by righting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) wrongs.
“If he wants our forgiveness, let him remedy the wrongs committed by INEC so that we may elect the proper leaders and create the Nigeria we desire. The national president of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said that instead of handing over power to thieves, he should make sure that the correct person is appointed.
Elder statesman Tanko Yakassai also reacted, saying that all Nigerians wanted was for Buhari to leave so that the numerous issues the nation is currently facing could be resolved.
Other Nigerians who spoke to DAILY POST about the situation also had conflicting feelings about Buhari’s request for pardon.
A food vendor at the Kubwa central market named Bello Bello claimed he had no interest in the President’s apologies because his main concern was how to increase sales and maintain his livelihood.
Nothing about his apologies worries me. I wish to increase my market sales and profit, ” he declared.
Is it possible that he just realized there was forgiveness after he had put Nigerians through suffering and hunger? When asked what she thought, Mrs. Caroline Mathew replied, “It is left between him and his God.
However, President Buhari’s apology was a positive development, according to Okpokwu Ogenyi, convener of the Concerned All Progressives Congress, APC, Members and Civil Society Directorate, who spoke to the Daily Post in an interview.
Ogenyi claimed that in his attempt to bring about excellent government throughout the nation, the President would not have been able to lead without stomping on toes.
He pleaded with Nigerians to accept the President’s apology and insisted that he had not intended to hurt any particular person or group of people.
He stated, “It is a positive step that the President is apologizing to everyone he may have offended while performing his duties as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Armed Forces.
“It is impossible to lead without stomping on toes, and President Muhammadu Burahi has undoubtedly done so in his efforts to improve the nation’s government. The President has hurt people’s feelings with his monetary policies, electoral reform, and many other facets of progress. Of course, he sincerely sought for forgiveness.
“I implore Nigerians to view that favorably. The President had no malicious intent and did not intend to do harm to any person or group of people.
“The President has also stomped on toes in his effort to restore security to the nation. The President also hurt people while trying to advance progress in his own way.
“You cannot give quality governance without stomping on people’s toes. Therefore, the President’s statement was accurate.
“The people who are painting the apologies in a negative manner are being cunning because even within the family, you cannot lead without trampling on toes.
“Some specific behaviors that we refer to as stomping on toes or insulting someone do not actually involve doing so. It’s possible that you made a wise choice that may improve someone’s life, but it’s also possible that it could do harm to someone else.
Just as when you were a youngster, your parents would scold and chastise you, and you won’t realize that they are doing it to help you. Although you will despise them for what they do, as you get older you will start to see what they have done to get you to the point where you are.
The project manager for the Advocacy Partnership for Good Governance and convener of the Office of the Citizens, Onyebuchi Igboke, disagreed that the apology was adequate.
Igboke asserted to Obasanjo News24 that he thought the President understood what he was doing and that certain actions may have been preplanned on purpose.
He pointed to the number of petitions at the electoral tribunal around the nation, which he termed as the most in the country’s history, and said Buhari knew that most Nigerians were unhappy with him, especially with the results of the recent elections in Nigeria.
The proponent of good governance claimed that the volume of petitions received suggested there was a problem with the results of the general election in 2023.
He remarked, “That really proves that the President knew exactly what he was doing, whether intentionally or unintentionally. So, for the most part, he recognized that he would likely ask for forgiveness at a later point for the wrongdoings.
It is regrettable because despite all of his wrongdoings, impunity, economic crises, protracted ASUU strike, and several other things that went wrong, we all expected him to at least end nicely.
“We had difficulty. Everyone had been patiently waiting for the president to at least follow his word and hold an honest, transparent, and legitimate election in 2023.
But based on what we saw during the just finished election, Nigeria appeared to have made five times more progress backwards than we had made forward. The President might have planned out some actions in advance so that, in the end, he could offer an apology by stating, “I am sorry if I have wronged Nigerians.”
“The President is aware that most people don’t like him, particularly in light of the results of the recent elections in Nigeria.
“However, we anticipated him to at least apologize. During the collation of the presidential election, Olusegun Obasanjo addressed him a letter requesting that he investigate the iREV, consider the issues, and even set aside a period of time—like two weeks, as required by the electoral act—to evaluate the entire procedure.
“We can tell that voters do not believe their ballots matter at this time. There would be no place for all of these legal disputes if everything was transparent, credible, and fair; if you lose, you just know you lost the election on the fairground.
This is the worst of the petitions that have been filed with the election tribunal around the nation, as you can see. Since even Buhari has previously been a victim of a flawed electoral system, this is the biggest number of petitions we have ever received, indicating that something went wrong with the results of the general election in 2023 and that people were disappointed.
Saying people should forgive him or not, in his opinion, makes no difference, he continued. Additionally, he deeply divided our nation. You may recall that he mentioned the South Easterners as a “dot in the circle” in some of his remarks.
“Even with the illegal way they handle the IPOB issue, it appears as though he favors one region over another, which is supposed to be against the law; he is meant to be the father of all citizens and regions in this nation. Anyone who gains authority should not simply permit people to endure misfortune before starting to ask for forgiveness.
