By By Stonix News Editorial Team
THE recent demise of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari has opened a floodgate of reflections across the country. In a survey jointly conducted by stonixnews.com and its investigative sister platform, crimeschroniclers.com, on their official social media handles, Nigerians were asked to list five things—good or bad—that they would most remember Buhari for. The responses, deeply personal and often emotionally charged, reveal a legacy that is, at best, contested, and at worst, severely tarnished.
Muhammadu Buhari with a toothpick
Across a diverse cross-section of the populace, the tone ranged from outright anger to grudging acknowledgement of a few policy wins. Perhaps the most scathing of the voices was Femi Olufemi, who likened the former president’s methods to authoritarianism cloaked in constitutional garb. “Like a thief in the night, he descended and abducted Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu,” Olufemi asserted, highlighting what many have termed Buhari’s “selective justice.” He did not hold back in recalling the tragedies under Buhari’s watch: “He ordered soldiers of the HQ Nigerian Army to open fire on peaceful #EndSARS protesters waving the Nigerian flag… He destroyed the economy by printing naira excessively.”
Muhammadu Buhari
In a more scholarly tone, Professor Babatunji Oyinloye lamented policy choices that he believed had long-term damaging effects. “The suspension of international transactions on naira debit cards caused significant hardship for many postgraduate students studying abroad,” he noted, a sentiment echoed by the Nigerian diaspora. Oyinloye, who’s a pastor in one of the fastest growing churches across the globe, further described Buhari’s controversial border closure policy as “ineffective,” warning that it only served to “increase smuggling activities and a surge in banditry.”
For Oluwadare Ogundana, a civil servant, Buhari’s administration was a paradox of high promises and poor delivery. “He became a leader through propagandas but silenced all opposition thereafter,” he said, arguing that the president’s famed personal integrity was “marred by his associates’ and ministers’ corruption.” Yet, Ogundana admitted that some infrastructural progress was made, referencing “construction of rail lines” while quickly tempering it with mention of the “exponential increase of bandits” and the “making of jokes out of national trivial issues.”
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The economic legacies, especially relating to food security and inflation, were also spotlighted by Mrs Seun Ajanaku, another civil servant, who noted that “rice palaver took rice from ₦8,000 to ₦35,000.” He credited Buhari’s administration with efforts in “economic diversification and agricultural revival,” but not without pointing to the unintended consequence of nationalising cattle. “Fulani herdsmen—cows became national treasure,” he quipped wryly.
Muhammadu Buhari in Igbo attire
On a more balanced note, Toba Ajiboye, another civil servant resident in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, acknowledged both Buhari’s administrative missteps and infrastructural contributions. He criticised Buhari’s “refusal to appoint helping hands as ministers in the first six months in office” and the reappointment of embattled former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, whom he described as “the worst of such in history on corruption index.” However, he credited the late president for key projects like the “construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge” and the “addition of Zungeru 700MW to the national grid.”
Remains of Muhammadu Buhari arriving Katsina airport on Tuesday
Others were less charitable. David Olu, a broadcaster, pointed to what he perceived as ethnic favouritism and administrative lethargy. “His leadership style favoured his kinsmen in sensitive positions,” he said, adding that “his long medical absence slowed things down.” Still, David, however, acknowledged Buhari’s handling of the fuel subsidy crisis and generously rated his administration “40%.”
For Suleyman Olaide Sadik, Buhari’s presidency represented a dark chapter in Nigeria’s democratic journey. “He led Nigeria in political darkness,” Sadik remarked. “He called Nigerian youths lazy, led the country to economic extinction, and (allegedly) ran for office with forged educational qualifications.” Most controversially, Sadik alleged that Buhari was “the brain behind the dreaded Boko Haram sect, ISWAP, Banditry and others,” a claim that reflects a deep-seated mistrust harboured by many in the North-East and beyond.
Remains of Muhammadu Buhari
The survey reveals more than a litany of grievances; it speaks to a nation still healing from the shocks of unmet expectations and national tragedies. Buhari’s legacy, in the words of those surveyed, is not merely political—it is deeply personal. From the cost of rice to the blood spilled during protests, from currency redesign to the slow decay of public institutions, Nigerians carry vivid memories that will shape how history judges the late president.
Final rest place of Muhammadu Buhari
As Professor Oyinloye put it, “Policy must be human-centred, not regime-serving. That’s the lesson from Buhari.” In the end, perhaps what Nigerians are demanding most is not perfection, but leadership that listens, heals, and unites. Whether Buhari succeeded or failed at that is now left for history to decide.
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