Saturday, May 29, marked exactly six years since President Muhammadu Buhari took office as the fourth man to lead Nigeria in the Fourth Republic.
The former army general who became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria returned to power in 2015 on the strength of his promise to tackle insecurity, fight corruption and improve the economy. His election followed the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from a Chibok in the country’s northeast Borno state by Boko Haram armed group.
In his inaugural address, Mr Buhari vowed to tackle “head on” the Boko Haram insurgents who at the time had taken over several local government areas in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
He vowed to crush Boko Haram within three months and recover all the territories it had seized.
But six years after and about two years to the end of his final second term, insecurity has worsened beyond the Boko Haram insurgency. Virtually all parts of Nigeria are currently battling one form or another of violent crimes, evidence that the president has failed to keep his promise on security.
The Global Terrorism Index (2019) ranked Nigeria as the third-worst nation prone to terrorism with no improvement since 2017.
Asides insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and secessionist violence are pushing Nigeria towards the brink of collapse with many calling for the resignation of the president for “failing” to secure the country.