Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has defended the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that Nigeria was economically stable, more secure and on a path of progress at the end of his tenure.
Sirika spoke during an interview on a private TV station on Monday as activities commenced to mark the first anniversary of Buhari’s death.
The former minister dismissed claims that Buhari’s administration left the country in economic distress, maintaining that the former president recorded remarkable achievements despite the challenges faced during his eight years in office.
“I don’t want to get dragged into that debate, but the truth of the matter is that President Buhari had done extremely well on the economy,” Sirika said.
Although he admitted he was not an economist, Sirika said his experience as a member of Buhari’s cabinet gave him firsthand knowledge of the administration’s performance.
“I’ve been in the country, I’ve been in the government, I know so, and I’ve seen that the country at the time was in a good state of both the economy and the social issues within the country and in politics,” he added.
Asked whether Buhari left behind a stable economy and sufficient resources for his successor, President Bola Tinubu, Sirika responded in the affirmative.
“I do believe so. I do believe that he left a country that was flourishing,” he said.
The former minister, however, declined to assess the Tinubu administration, saying it would be inappropriate for him to publicly criticise the policies of the current government.
According to him, both Buhari and Tinubu have implemented policies guided by the ideology of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“I want to say categorically that these policies by President Muhammadu Buhari are policies of our party. The policies that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pursuing are also policies of our party,” Sirika said.
He argued that neither leader introduced policies with the intention of inflicting hardship on Nigerians.
“As an APC person, I do believe that they are not doing things just off the top of their heads to inflict injury on the country.
“I think they are being advised of the exigencies of their time and are taking decisions that they believe are good for the country,” he added.
Sirika made the remarks ahead of events organised by Buhari’s associates and political allies to commemorate the first anniversary of the former president’s death.
Buhari died on July 13, 2025.
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