Despite increased harship and massive exodus of citizens out of Nigeria for greener pasture, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for making Nigerians believe in the country.

The former Lagos governor made this statement at the grand finale of his campaign at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Tuesday, where Mr Buhari was in attendance.

“As you have worked hard to for me, I will work hard for Nigeria. As you (Mr Buhari) give Nigeria the hope to renew their faith in their country, I will sustain that hope. 

“Those who look helpless today will be helpful in this country. All the agenda set in our programe, renewed hope manifesto will be pursued vigorously with all our energy,” Mr Tinubu said. 

Mr Tinubu’s statement comes amidst severe economic harship that has characterised Mr Buhari regime.

Number of Nigerians relocating out of the country in search of better opportunities in the face of prevailing economic and security challenges has increased with the  Nigerian Inmigration Service raising the alarm on the “worrisome phenomenon“. 

In August 2022, the Minister of State for Health, Joseph Ekumankama, lamented the brain drain in the country’s health sector as a result of Nigerian doctors leaving the country for greener pasture abroad.

While Nigeria’s debt profile has hit N44 trillion and it is projected to cross N77 trillion before Mr Buhari leaves office, the president in his 2022 Independence Day speech admitted that youth “unemployment and poverty” have remained high regardless of efforts by his regime.

Aside historic fuel and naira scarcity that have left Nigerians suffering on queues to get fuel and money for their upkeep, Nigerians have witnessed gross human rights abuses and massacre under Buhari-led regime.

In 2015, Shiite protesters in Zaria numbering over 300 were killed by Nigerian soldiers and buried in shallow graves.

Similarly in 2016, Amnesty International condemned the Buhari regime after soldiers killed over 150 unarmed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra.

On October 20, 2020, soldiers fired live rounds at #EndSARS protesters, mostly youths demonstrating against police brutality and extortion.