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As the dust settles on the years of General Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency, millions of Nigerians are left asking themselves one haunting question: What exactly will we remember him for?
For many citizens, the answer does not come with smiles or pride, but with heavy sighs, tears in their eyes, and voices shaking from the pain they endured. This is not just about politics.
This is about the ordinary lives that were touched, crushed, and, in many cases, destroyed by decisions made far away from their dinner tables—decisions that turned food into a luxury, fuel into gold, and hope into an empty promise. Our last post: How Long Shall We Mourn? Plateau Community Lays 27 to Rest After Massacre
The Promise That Became Pain
When Muhammadu Buhari first came to power in 2015, he was seen by many as a messiah. Nigerians were tired of corruption, tired of broken systems, and tired of empty talk. Buhari promised change. He told us he would fight corruption, fix security, grow the economy, and protect the poor.
But what did Nigerians really get?
- We got queues.
- We got fuel scarcity.
- We got naira redesign that made our mothers cry at POS points.
- We got salaries that could not feed a family for three days.
- We got promises that were never fulfilled.
Suffering in Every Corner of the Country
From Lagos to Maiduguri, from Port Harcourt to Sokoto, the story was the same—hunger, fear, and frustration.
The Economy: The naira lost its value over and over again. Prices of food items shot up. People who used to feed their families with ₦5,000 began to struggle with ₦20,000. A bag of rice became a dream for many households. Jobs disappeared. Youths became okada riders, graduates became street hawkers. People died of depression. Some ended it all.
Fuel Woes: Nigerians who voted for change ended up buying fuel at ₦600–₦800 per litre. Transport became a nightmare. Businesses collapsed. Even electricity was not spared. The same “generator republic” became even worse.
Insecurity: Under Buhari’s watch, bandits took over highways. Kidnappers ruled forests. Terrorists became bold. Churches were attacked. Trains were hijacked. Children were kidnapped from schools. Farmers could not go to their farms. Women slept with one eye open.
How do we forget Leah Sharibu? Or the Kaduna train victims? Or the hundreds slaughtered in Benue, Zamfara, and Plateau? How do we erase the pain of mothers who cried as they buried their sons?
The Naira Redesign Disaster
One of the darkest moments under Buhari’s rule was the naira redesign policy. For months, Nigerians could not access their own money.
People collapsed in banks. Some died in hospital queues because there was no cash to buy drugs. Weddings were postponed. Market women cried. Pure water sellers could not collect money.
It was not just a bad policy. It was wickedness in disguise.
The Voice of the People
Ask any Nigerian on the street what they remember about Buhari, and you will not hear sweet stories. You will hear pain.
> "He said he came to fight corruption, but people suffered more than ever before,"> says Mama Rose, a food seller in Onitsha.> "Under Buhari, my shop folded. My children stopped going to school. I will never forget it,"> says Mr. Bala from Kaduna.> "I was kidnapped twice. Till today, the police never found the people. I survived by the grace of God, not the government,"> says a victim from Niger State.
History Will Not Lie
They can write newspapers. They can rewrite history books. But the truth lives in the hearts of millions of Nigerians. History cannot lie.
Buhari’s administration will forever be remembered as a time of great promise and even greater disappointment. He may have fought corruption, but Nigerians paid the price with blood, sweat, and hunger.
Finally
This is not about bitterness. It is about honesty.
When history asks, “What did Buhari do for Nigerians?”, the answer will not come from politicians or headlines. It will come from the mother who buried her child because of hospital failure.
From the student who dropped out because his father lost his job. From the young man who died on a bike while looking for fuel. From the woman who watched her husband hang himself because of debt.
This is our story. This is our voice.
We do not speak to bring shame. We speak so the next leader will not repeat the same mistakes.
Because in the end, we do not just want change. We want care. We want compassion. We want a country that treats its citizens like humans, not statistics.
And may we never, ever forget what Buhari’s years taught us: a silent leader can be more dangerous than a loud enemy.
