Former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has described the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as one that left Nigeria on a strong footing, insisting that the late leader handed over a stable economy and a country well-positioned for future growth.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Monday, July 13, to mark the first anniversary of Buhari’s death, Sirika dismissed claims that the former president’s policies were responsible for the country’s economic difficulties.
According to him, Buhari’s years in office produced measurable progress despite the numerous challenges his administration faced.
“I don’t want to get dragged into that debate, but the truth of the matter is that President Buhari had done extremely very well on the economy,” Sirika said.
The former minister admitted he is not an economist but maintained that his years in government allowed him to assess the country’s situation firsthand.
“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,” Sirika said.
When asked whether Buhari left enough economic stability and resources for President Bola Tinubu to build on, Sirika expressed confidence that he did.
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“I do believe so. I do believe that he left a country that was flourishing,” Sirika said.
He declined to evaluate the policies of the Tinubu administration, saying he considered it inappropriate to publicly criticise the government.
Instead, Sirika argued that both Buhari and Tinubu have pursued policies based on the philosophy of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I want to say categorically that these policies by President Muhammadu Buhari, I believe, are policies of our party. And the policies that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pursuing are policies of our party,” Sirika said.
He added that neither administration set out to implement policies that would harm 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,” Sirika said.
Sirika spoke as family members, political associates and supporters of the late president prepare activities to commemorate the first anniversary of Buhari’s death. Buhari died on July 13, 2025.