Hakeem Baba-Ahmed: Jonathan Misgoverned, Buhari ‘Clueless,’ Tinubu Failed Nigerians’ Hope
Abuja, Nigeria – Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a prominent political commentator and former spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum, has delivered a sharp criticism of the past three Nigerian administrations, stating that while previous governments under Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari fell short, President Bola Tinubu’s tenure has so far failed to meet expectations and improve the lives of citizens.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed asserted that President Tinubu’s two years in office have not brought the awaited improvement in governance quality or living standards, alleging the period has been marked by significant corruption, waste, and abuse of resources.
“Clearly, the Tinubu administration has failed expectations that it was going to radically improve the quality of governance,” Baba-Ahmed stated during the interview. He added that there is “so much waste, so much abuse of resources and corruption going on” under the current government.
Drawing comparisons to preceding leaders, Baba-Ahmed recalled the opposition faced by former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom he said, “took over and ran the country aground.” He noted, “we fought against Jonathan because we felt Nigeria deserved better leadership than Jonathan.”
However, he suggested the subsequent administration under Muhammadu Buhari was even less effective. “We didn’t realise that we were going to put in place someone who was not even to govern at all. Jonathan governed badly. President Buhari didn’t govern at all,” he argued.
Baba-Ahmed referenced President Tinubu’s controversial pre-election comment (“it is my turn”), noting the administration began on a “faulty foot.” Nevertheless, he stressed that assessment is now based on the administration’s record after two years. “Even if you forgive him for making that comment, two years into the leadership of President Tinubu’s government, we judge them by their record,” he said.
He strongly contended that the true measure of governmental performance is not solely found in international statistics or ratings but in the lived experience of the populace.
“They will tell you they are doing great with all the World Bank statistics, all the international ratings and everything, but that’s not the only measures you use to measure a government,” Baba-Ahmed explained. “You measure by the way citizens live, and if that is the yardstick by which we are going to measure this administration, then clearly, the Tinubu administration has failed expectations that it was going to radically improve the quality of governance.”
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Baba-Ahmed’s remarks.
