ABUJA, Nigeria — Chief Edwin Clark, a respected elder statesman and former Minister of Information, has voiced strong criticism of former President Muhammadu Buhari‘s administration.
During a farewell address to Buhari at a press conference on Sunday, May 28, 2023, Clark accused the former President of leaving the nation in a worse state than when he took office in 2015.
According to Clark, Buhari’s tenure was marked by unfulfilled promises, escalating division, and a myriad of other challenges, including rampant insecurity.
“The sad truth is that the South-South geopolitical zone has been treated very unfairly by the outgoing administration despite the region’s contributions to the national economy,” Clark said.
He argued that the country has seen a mass exodus of young professionals under Buhari’s leadership, with many seeking greener pastures in countries like Canada, Britain, and the USA.
Clark, who is also the current leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, made a poignant critique of the state of the Niger Delta region.
He said that the Buhari administration left the region worse off, contrary to the former President’s claims of belonging to all Nigerians.
“In the past eight years, Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated in most cases that he did not belong to the whole country but to a group; his tribe and religion, contrary to what he said in his inaugural speech that he belonged to everybody,” Clark argued.
The elder statesman concluded his address by calling for a fairer, more balanced approach to the administration and management of the nation’s resources, emphasizing that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, not a select few.
As Nigeria navigates this transitional period, it remains to be seen how the new administration will respond to these criticisms and challenges left behind by its predecessor.
