Muhammadu Buhari is the main opponent of the actual President Goodluck Jonathan. And there is some information to consider.
Politics from the behind
Major-General Buhari had been Governor of one of Northern states under Obasanjo Military Government as well minister for petroleum before being the military head of state. He also ran unsuccessfully for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. In 1983, Major-General Buhari and
Major-General Tunde Idiagbon were selected to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup d’etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari.
Progressive economic policy
In order to reform the economy, as Head of State, Buhari started to rebuild the nation’s social-political and economic systems, along the realities of Nigeria’s austere economic conditions.The rebuilding included removing or cutting back the excesses in national expenditure, obliterating or removing completely corruption from the nation’s social ethics, shifting from mainly public sector employment to self-employment. Buhari also encouraged import substitution industrialisation based to a great extent on the use of local materials and he tightened importation. However, Buhari’s bid to re-balance public finances by curbing imports led to many job losses and the closure of businesses.
Buhari broke ties with the International Monetary Fund, when the fund asked the government to devalue the naira by 60%. However, the reforms that Buhari instigated on his own were as or more rigorous as those required by the IMF.
Other economic measures by Buhari took the form of counter trade, currency change, price reduction of goods and services.
Foreign policy
Buhari’s military government continued largely with the foreign policy it inherited from Shehu Shagari. In January 1984, in his new year broadcast speech, Buhari stated that he would maintain and enhance diplomatic relations with all countries and international organisations such as the OAU, UN, OPEC, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth of Nations. He also stated that he would honor all treaty obligations entered into by previous governments, which he did.
Buhari’s foreign policy also focused on Africa, mostly Nigeria’s neighbors due to financial commitments
Equal attitude to different religions
There was no religious crisis during his time, however he was once quoted to have said “muslims should vote muslims” during one of his campaigns then in 1999. Though, in that statement he tried encouraging fair votes between muslim brothers, but it actually came out wrong. More so, as a muslim he exempted Christians from performing duties on Sundays. When he was asked to exempt Muslims from duties on Friday, he replied saying the bible says Christians should rest on the 7th day, and asked Muslims to show him where the Koran says they should rest on Fridays.
War against corruption
Buhari fought against corruption relentlessly by initiating a campaign called war against indiscipline. In addition to that , he sentenced all corrupt governors and ministers under Shagari’s government and sent them to jail without trial. This however affected even the innocent ones who found their names linked to corruption. The most significant part was that president Shagari himself and his vice Ekwueme Alex were even slammed with corruption charges.
Disregard for human rights
According to Decree Number 2 of 1984, the state security and the chief of staff were given the power to detain, without charges, individuals deemed to be a security risk to the state for up to three months. Strikes and popular demonstrations were banned and Nigeria’s secret police service, the National Security Organization (NSO) was entrusted with unprecedented powers. The NSO played a wide role in the cracking down of public dissent by intimidating, harassing and jailing individuals who broke the interdiction on strikes. By October 1984, about 200,000 civil servants were retrenched.
Property
Many Nigerians are not aware that Buhari is one of those rare leaders who don’t have any property in Abuja or abroad. As a minister of petroleum, PTF chairman and head of state, Buhari has only one house and kept no foreign account.
Politics from the behind
Major-General Buhari had been Governor of one of Northern states under Obasanjo Military Government as well minister for petroleum before being the military head of state. He also ran unsuccessfully for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. In 1983, Major-General Buhari and
Major-General Tunde Idiagbon were selected to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup d’etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari.
Progressive economic policy
In order to reform the economy, as Head of State, Buhari started to rebuild the nation’s social-political and economic systems, along the realities of Nigeria’s austere economic conditions.The rebuilding included removing or cutting back the excesses in national expenditure, obliterating or removing completely corruption from the nation’s social ethics, shifting from mainly public sector employment to self-employment. Buhari also encouraged import substitution industrialisation based to a great extent on the use of local materials and he tightened importation. However, Buhari’s bid to re-balance public finances by curbing imports led to many job losses and the closure of businesses.
Buhari broke ties with the International Monetary Fund, when the fund asked the government to devalue the naira by 60%. However, the reforms that Buhari instigated on his own were as or more rigorous as those required by the IMF.
Other economic measures by Buhari took the form of counter trade, currency change, price reduction of goods and services.
Foreign policy
Buhari’s military government continued largely with the foreign policy it inherited from Shehu Shagari. In January 1984, in his new year broadcast speech, Buhari stated that he would maintain and enhance diplomatic relations with all countries and international organisations such as the OAU, UN, OPEC, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth of Nations. He also stated that he would honor all treaty obligations entered into by previous governments, which he did.
Buhari’s foreign policy also focused on Africa, mostly Nigeria’s neighbors due to financial commitments
Equal attitude to different religions
There was no religious crisis during his time, however he was once quoted to have said “muslims should vote muslims” during one of his campaigns then in 1999. Though, in that statement he tried encouraging fair votes between muslim brothers, but it actually came out wrong. More so, as a muslim he exempted Christians from performing duties on Sundays. When he was asked to exempt Muslims from duties on Friday, he replied saying the bible says Christians should rest on the 7th day, and asked Muslims to show him where the Koran says they should rest on Fridays.
War against corruption
Buhari fought against corruption relentlessly by initiating a campaign called war against indiscipline. In addition to that , he sentenced all corrupt governors and ministers under Shagari’s government and sent them to jail without trial. This however affected even the innocent ones who found their names linked to corruption. The most significant part was that president Shagari himself and his vice Ekwueme Alex were even slammed with corruption charges.
Disregard for human rights
According to Decree Number 2 of 1984, the state security and the chief of staff were given the power to detain, without charges, individuals deemed to be a security risk to the state for up to three months. Strikes and popular demonstrations were banned and Nigeria’s secret police service, the National Security Organization (NSO) was entrusted with unprecedented powers. The NSO played a wide role in the cracking down of public dissent by intimidating, harassing and jailing individuals who broke the interdiction on strikes. By October 1984, about 200,000 civil servants were retrenched.
Property
Many Nigerians are not aware that Buhari is one of those rare leaders who don’t have any property in Abuja or abroad. As a minister of petroleum, PTF chairman and head of state, Buhari has only one house and kept no foreign account.
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