Former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has praised the performance of his successor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has been in office for nearly a year.
According to Buhari, Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State, has done an excellent job since taking office nine months ago.
Buhari made these comments when he met with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and members of the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Daura, Katsina State, over the weekend.
President Tinubu has faced criticism for some of his economic policies, such as removing fuel subsidies and unifying exchange rate windows, which have caused hardship for Nigerians due to economic challenges and the depreciation of the naira, leading to protests.
Despite these challenges, Buhari believes that Tinubu has done well considering the difficult circumstances, acknowledging that governing Nigeria is a complex task.
He believes that there is limited action that can be taken to improve the situation in Nigeria. Buhari spoke to Adeniyi and his team, highlighting the significant challenges facing Nigeria.
He encouraged citizens to remain resilient in the face of economic hardships and support the current government’s initiatives.
“I thank you very much for coming. I very much appreciate it. I thought Tinubu has done very well.
“Nigeria is so complex. Really, there isn’t much anybody can do,” Daily Trust quoted the former president saying.
Adeniyi thanked the former president for his outstanding support of the NCS Act 2023.
The CGC also met with the Emir of Daura, Dr. Farouk Umar Farouk, to discuss important matters.
“This legislative milestone grants the NCS expanded authority to implement policies aimed at bolstering revenue generation and facilitating trade, thus contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth trajectory,” Adeniyi said.
He also spoke about trucks carrying food items seized at the border, saying, “I will also use this occasion to brief you on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directives that all trucks of food carrying exports across the border that were seized by Customs be returned to the traders with the hope that they would plough them back into the Nigerian markets.”
It is important to mention that this was not the first occasion when Buhari mentioned that leading Nigeria is a challenging task for leaders.
In November 2023, during an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Buhari expressed that governing the country was a tough job.
“Nigerians are extremely difficult. People know their rights. They think they should be there, not you. So, they monitor virtually your every step. And you have to struggle day and night to ensure you are competent enough,” he had said.
