Muhammadu Buhari will be leaving Nigerians less secure, poorer and more in debt than when he came to office in 2015. Nduka Orjinmo looks at the reality of his legacy as he prepares to step down next week.
BBC News, Abuja
After Mr Buhari's brief stint in charge in the 1980s, his second coming was on the back of promises to curtail the rampaging Islamist insurgency in the north-east and tackle widespread corruption.But the 80-year-old's two four-year terms have left many disappointed. But whatever gains have been recorded in the north-east against the Islamist militants have been eroded by the emergence of equally violent groups in other parts of the country under his watch.
It took hold during the first decade of the century when oil workers were kidnapped in the Niger Delta and blossomed under Mr Buhari's watch as the targets changed. Many also believe that Mr Buhari has mishandled the situation thrown up by separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu. After escaping in 2017, he was abducted in unclear circumstances abroad and returned to Nigeria in 2021 to face trial. A judge has ordered his release as the process of his return was illegal but authorities continue to hold him.
The shocking discovery last October of a kilometres-long pipeline used to steal oil was described by commentators as "nearly impossible" without help from authorities.through the heavily guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean. There, barges and vessels blatantly loaded the stolen oil from a seven-metre rig visible for miles on the open waters.
Mr Rafsanjani scored the administration four out of 10 in fighting corruption, and said Mr Buhari's appointment of people with ongoing corruption cases to his cabinet and his wife's long stays in expensive Dubai homes "contravened best practices by an administration that was fighting corruption and mismanagement".
But some of its policies, such as currency restrictions and closing the land borders to boost local production, have contributed towards record inflation that has made millions poorer and depleted a once burgeoning Nigerian middle-class.
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