Former President Muhammadu Buhari has lashed out at his critics for expressing happiness over the end of his eight-year tenure, saying the criticisms that trailed his government were borne of anger from lost opportunities.

Buhari stated that many people were unhappy after he declared that “no more free money” during his administration.

The former president, however, said his administration touched every sector with massive and positive changes, noting that one of the greatest achievements of his government was the diversification of Nigeria’s economy.

He said these in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

Shehu said: “Bullies who attacked governments and ‘something dropped’ will continue to antagonize Buhari borne of anger from lost opportunities. A certain Buhari ‘critic’ who served a Military Governor in one of the Northern States, even his underwear was bought from government coffers. When they came in they freed thieves, robbers, and receivers of stolen goods and even gave them a working capital!

“Within a few weeks, crime returned to Kaduna, and yes, the other places and he has the effrontery to speak as he did. This society has no use for such squalid nonsense!!

“How many of these people do you think were happy when President Buhari said ‘no more free money’?

READ ALSO: Sanusi: Buhari’s regime corrupt, jobless boy bought private jet

“Buhari said money in National Security Agencies is for security. Lazy men and women who can’t work cannot just walk in and walk out of that place with bags stuffed with  money in a free-for-all. These ones have nothing to teach anyone. President Tinubu, a wise politician will equally see through their masquerade.”

He added: “In the normative functions of our governments, an administration takes four to five major decisions in four years and they rush to the public square to celebrate themselves. Looking at the records he left, the Buhari government has taken hundreds of major decisions in the eight years it was in office, and yet you hear nothing but criticism upon criticism.

“The promise of tackling corruption and establishing a strong democracy was a prime factor in the rise to power by Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress party in 2015.

“On coming to office, the administration directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to close their accounts with deposit money banks to fully operationalize the Treasury Single Account. TSA was launched in 2012 but left on the drawing boards.

“More than 17,000 bank accounts were closed and an average of four billion Naira in monthly bank charges was saved. Government revenue, it was found out, was being banked in personal accounts and signatories were, in some instances, big men and women who had retired from service.

“This was closely followed with the institution of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System, IPPS to cover all MDAs in spite of great opposition by the armed forces and the universities. Ghost workers in excess of 50,000 were flushed out and savings in hundreds of billions made.

“Throughout these eight years, no bribery allegations against the person of Muhammadu Buhari were ever made.

“One of the greatest achievements of the Buhari government has been that it diversified the economy. The administration achieved self-sufficiency in rice, and financed millions of small farmers of 23 different commodities, an effort that helped to boost the export of agricultural commodities.”

The former presidential spokesman noted that Buhari’s administration launched some programmes, including the National Livestock Transformation Program (NLTP), which he said helped to curb herder-farmer clashes in the country.

READ ALSO: Buhari: PEPC rejected intimidation to deliver justice

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control “due to the relentless leadership of President Buhari”, saying Boko Haram terrorism has almost been quashed following the former president’s government’s fight against insecurity.

Shehu added: “There has been a massive improvement in health infrastructure, a significant and new education policy has been framed, and even a policy against open defecation has been formulated and is taking hold in many states.

“The so-called critics don’t want to acknowledge the great job done by the nation’s intelligence agencies in diminishing the IPOB, its affiliates and other secessionist movements. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) single-handedly worked with our neighbors, especially Niger Republic in bringing down illegal small arms and light weapons importation into Nigerian territory by 78%.

‘There has not been a single area that had not been touched by the Buhari government. We have seen massive positive changes in the last eight years but as they say, the one who is pretending to be asleep is harder to wake up than the one who is actually sleeping.

“Muhammadu has done his part and left. History will judge him, and fairly I think.”

The Star