Legacies and policies of Buhari’s government
Late President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in a London clinic, left indelible marks on Nigeria’s political and economic landscape during his eight years in office. His administration was characterised by wide-ranging reforms across various sectors, including infrastructure, the economy, job creation, healthcare, transportation, anti-corruption, and oil and gas. Buhari’s journey to national […]
Ex-president Muhammadu Buhari in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja
Late President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday in a London clinic, left indelible marks on Nigeria’s political and economic landscape during his eight years in office. His administration was characterised by wide-ranging reforms across various sectors, including infrastructure, the economy, job creation, healthcare, transportation, anti-corruption, and oil and gas.
Buhari’s journey to national leadership began in 1983 when he became military Head of State through a coup. His tenure (1983–1985) was marked by austere civic campaigns such as the famous “War Against Indiscipline.” Decades later, he returned to power as a democratically elected president in 2015, vowing to fight corruption, insecurity, and economic decay.
Infrastructure
One of the most notable achievements of Buhari’s administration was its ambitious infrastructure development programme, described by many as the most extensive since Nigeria’s independence.
In 2019, Executive Order 7 was signed to enable private-sector funding of road infrastructure under a tax credit scheme, an initiative still active today.
In February 2021, he established the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp) with an initial seed capital of N1 trillion, jointly provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC). InfraCorp was mandated to mobilise an additional N14trn in debt capital to catalyse infrastructure growth.
The Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) which was created in 2020 has so far committed over $1 billion to critical national projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (completed before Buhari left office), the Second Niger Bridge and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway.
Rail and transport
The Buhari administration also revived the country’s railway system under its rail modernisation programme. Achievements include the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Line (2017–2021), with an 8.72km extension to the Lagos Port Complex. The completion and commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna Rail Line in 2016, as well as the completion of the Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail Line in 2020, 33 years after construction began.
The administration also launched freight operations on the Itakpe-Warri line and initiated e-ticketing concessions for the Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe lines.
In the aviation sector, the administration completed new international terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt, alongside runway upgrades in Abuja and Enugu. A special N10bn fund facilitated the reconstruction of the Enugu airport runway, reopened in August 2020.
Power sector
Over 4,000MW of new power generation assets were completed, including the Zungeru and Kashimbila hydro plants; Afam III Fast Power; Kaduna Kudenda Power Plant; Okpai Phase 2 Plant and the Dangote Refinery Power Plant.
The government also extended clean energy, both solar and gas, to federal universities and teaching hospitals, including BUK (Kano), FUNAI (Ebonyi), ATBU (Bauchi) and FUPRE (Delta).
Oil and gas
One of the most significant milestones in the oil sector was the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which restructured the regulatory framework. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was transformed into a limited liability company (NNPC Ltd) in July 2022. Two key regulatory bodies were established: the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA)
A major breakthrough came with the signing of the OML 118 Agreements between NNPC and global oil giants Shell, ExxonMobil, TOTAL, and NAOC – unlocking over $10 billion in deep-water investment.
Buhari also declared the “Decade of Gas”, flagging off the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, the largest domestic gas project in Nigeria. His administration also secured $45 million from the Islamic Development Bank for a feasibility study on the Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline.
Housing
The National Housing Programme, under the Ministry of Works and Housing, saw the completion of multiple estates in 34 states, with over 5,000 homes either completed or at various stages of construction, with the support of the state governors who provided the land.
Agriculture
Launched in 2015, the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) disbursed over N800bn to more than four million smallholder farmers cultivating 23 commodities on five million hectares of land.
The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), in partnership with Morocco, facilitated the production of over 60 million 50kg bags of fertiliser between 2016 and 2020.
Social Investment Programme and economic policies
In 2016, Buhari launched the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP)—Africa’s largest, and one of the biggest globally. It included:
The National Social Register (NSR) of poor and vulnerable Nigerians has more than 50 million persons from more than 12 million poor and vulnerable households, identified across more than 150,000 communities in the 36 states of the country and the FCT.
Buhari’s administration inherited an economy already heading into recession in 2015. The second recession came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global oil prices plummeted to $16 per barrel. Nevertheless, Nigeria survived, thanks to a coordinated government response.
Timeline of Buhari’s foreign medical trips
Eight months after assuming office, specifically on February 5, 2016, Buhari took his first medical trip to London, spending six days.
Again, barely one year in office in June 6, 2016, Buhari made his second medical trip to London for an undisclosed ailment.
Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, in a statement then, said the president was proceeding on a 10-day vacation.
Adesina had said Buhari would take 10 days off and travel to London on Monday June 6th to also see an ear, nose and throat specialist.
The presidential spokesman stated that during the holiday, President Buhari would see an E.N.T. specialist for a persistent ear infection.
He said Buhari was earlier examined by his personal physician and an E.N.T specialist in Abuja and was treated.
Adesina also revealed that both Nigerian doctors recommended further evaluation “purely as a precaution.”
The trip drew criticism from the Nigerian Medical Association for sidelining local expertise and moving to London, but the uproar did not stop the subsequent trips.
On January 19, 2017, Buhari again embarked on another medical trip. Before leaving, he had written to the then president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, disclosing his plan to travel to London on a 10-day vacation.
In the letter, Buhari said he would hand over to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo.
The medical holiday was due to commence on January 23, 2017, but his trip was extended for some days; a development that drew controversy from some Nigerians.
The extension, his presidency explained, wa “in order to complete and receive the results of a series of tests recommended by his doctors.” He returned to Abuja on March 10, 2017, spending 50 days away.
In May 2017, Buhari was again back in London for medical follow-up with his doctors.
The trip was less than two months after he spent over 50 days in the UK on a vacation, during which he also attended to his health.
A statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, noted that the duration of his stay in London would be determined by his doctors.