Buhari's Economic Scorecard Is Disastrous: Punch Editorial

Presented with an opportunity to undertake an honest review of his regime’s economic performance, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), relapsed into his default mode of living in denial, and eerie self-congratulation. In an interview with Bloomberg, he made unfounded claims and amid the rubble of a collapsing polity, insisted that he would “leave Nigeria in a far better place than we found it.” The verdict of the populace, the domestic and international community is however unsparing: Buhari’s management of Nigeria’s economy, like virtually other areas of national life, has been disastrous. Most Nigerians can hardly wait for his term to end. But as usual, Buhari was in a world of his own, claiming successes despite the overwhelming evidence of failure. He stated that the economy was on course “for sustainable and equitable growth,” and that Boko Haram no longer occupied large territories. For good measure, he added that Nigerians were now freely “empowere