By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a scathing critique of the late Muhammadu Buhari, describing his 2015–2023 civilian administration as the worst Nigeria has ever witnessed.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari
In his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, Obasanjo accused Buhari of betraying the very principles he once invoked to justify overthrowing Shehu Shagari’s government in the December 1983 military coup.
Buhari, who died in London on 13 July 2025 and was buried in his hometown of Daura two days later, served Nigeria twice—first as a military head of state and later as an elected civilian president.
Obasanjo recalled that in his coup speech of 1983, Buhari denounced corruption, insecurity and mismanagement, promising disciplined leadership. Yet, according to Obasanjo, Buhari’s eight-year civilian rule achieved the opposite.
“Fine words and promises are easy to make, but Buhari’s government from 2015 to 2023 abandoned everything he once preached. It stands out as the worst civilian rule in Nigeria’s history,” Obasanjo wrote.
President Bola Tinubu
He further suggested that the lofty declarations in Buhari’s 1983 address “may not have been his own words, but merely a script handed to him.”
The former president also warned that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration “is not far from Buhari’s record,” a remark likely to fuel renewed debate over the country’s democratic direction.
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