Tribute of hypocrisy – Mr. Sam Omatseye’s disclaimer about Buhari

Mr. Sam Omatseye’s premature, and ostensibly, premeditated, tribute to late president Buhari, who passed on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in his Nation newspaper column on Monday, has virtually been swept under the carpet by the vested media on the altar of collegial solidarity, which would be a grave injustice to Buhari’s performance in office, and also to acquiesce to the writer’s complicity – if unaddressed.

For a man he was instrumental through his strong media advocacy in his print column and television show in making a cult-hero, it is disheartening that Mr. Omatseye could mercilessly savage the late president in such an uncharitable and malevolent manner. He was the cheerleader in the infamous and disreputable orchestra that burnished Buhari’s badly tainted democratic and human rights image, turning him unabashedly into a democrat.

Politics Even in Death

I am not for the so-called tradition that we don’t speak evil of the dead. In 1998, I incurred the wrath of many Fela fans when I question the euphoria over his life contributions as if he was a faultless angel in a Post Express article. I believe people should face their actions whether in life or death. So, this is not about leaving the dead in peace.

However, Mr. Omatseye took too much liberty of public sensibility to express such ghastly and malevolent opinion of one of the only two people, who had ruled this country twice in their lifetime – the other being Obasanjo – just a day after his demise, and his body not yet flown home, not to talk of being buried. It’s sheer sacrilege, and could only have been orchestrated by a long concealed political animosity.

Secondly, he didn’t see the stark contradiction in his scathing violation of the memory of the dead, and the effusive – and it now appears pretentious – eulogy by his patron, President Tinubu, who incidentally is Buhari’s successor from the same political party, the APC. How could two of them be speaking different things on the same subject matter? Who, between them, should we believe?

Manipulative History

What were Buhari’s “sins” that warranted such a caustic outburst from one, who was once his chief praise singer? He listed seven, which on comparison with his successor, President Tinubu, makes Mr. Omatseye a hypocrite, who sees the speck in Buhari’s eyes, but ignores the log in theirs.

The sins: One, that “Buhari became president and ran with a cabal of anti-diluvian ideas.” Really, this is a government of “Lagos-boys,” running an IMF-induced ideas. Very bright.

Two, that “his only way of making money was Ways and Means, and borrowing.” Here are the facts: At Buhari’s departure, Q3 2023 figures showed external debt at $41.6 billion and domestic debt at ₦55.9 trillion $76.8 billion), totaling ₦87.9 trillion ($114 billion)

As of March 31, 2025, total public debt was ₦149.39 trillion. A loan of $700 million has just be contracted for the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal road.

Also President Tinubu had requested ₦33.4 trillion ($21.5 billion) in external borrowing (plus €2.2 billion and ¥15 billion grants/loans) for 2025–2026 borrowing plan. If approved, public debt could reach ₦180–183 trillion by 2026, according to Vanguard newspaper, which is N100 trillion in four years more than Buhari’s in eight years. This shows clear manipulation of facts, or abject financial illiteracy..

Three, that “he left the economy in chaos and should have saved the economy from Jonathan’s era, where the nation was in dire straits.” He forgot that President Tinubu was in the same party with Buhari, and key to his emergence as President.
The economy averaged 6–7% annually during Jonathan’s tenure, one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa at the time. After Nigeria rebased its GDP in April 2014, it became the largest economy in Africa with $510 billion. Today, Nigeria is fourth in Africa with $387 billion.

Under Jonathan forex rate by May 2015 was ₦197–₦199/$1. Fuel price before January 2012 was ₦65/litre.

In January 2012, government attempted full deregulation by increasing the price to ₦141/litre, which sparked mass protests by those who are in APC now (the Occupy Nigeria group).

After protests, the price was reduced to ₦97/litre, and in early January 2015, it was further reduced to ₦87/litre due to falling global oil prices.

Mr. Omatseye might be right by the conclusion on Buhari’s economic failure, but he is definitely wrong on the assertion that the economy under Jonathan was in dire straits compared to what now obtains. Yet, Buhari still performed better than the present government in the terms of people’s standard of living, all things considered.

Inflation in 2015 was single digit; it was above 30 percent in 2024, before the NBS recalibrated it at about 23 percent, which does not bear any relationship with market prices.

Similarly, the naira depreciated from ₦770/$ in June 2023 to around ₦1,536/$ by March 2025.

GDP growth reached 3.84% in 2924, but is expected to drop to 3.6 percent in 2025. In May 2023, the “subsidy is gone” speech-slip took petrol price from ₦198 to ₦540/litre instantly, and subsequently to over N1000, before hovering around N800, because of respite brought by Dangote refinery.

Tribute as Character Assassination

Four, that “he was a man, who looked after one man – himself.” We know that Buhari did not coin Emi lo kan. So, that is enough. Six, that he “dithered on his successor and tried to undercut him.” Here is the source of all the anger: His attempt, perhaps, presciently, to drop Tinubu as his successor, given how things have turned out.

However, given the Lagos system of succession, which has become a political culture in Nigeria, where the god-father, or incumbent decides his successor, one doesn’t see the crime in that.

Lastly, that “he loved his faith too much to open his heart of prejudices.” At least, Buhari rejected a same-faith ticket, which this government imposed, and has further divided Nigeria along its gapping fault lines.

This is the balance of history and facts between Jonathan, Buhari, and President Tinubu. Mr. Omatseye shouldn’t try to rewrite these facts because it suits his pecuniary narrative.

We know that things may still change, or improve under this administration, but today, the Tinubu-led administration has the worst performance record of all the governments since 1999, based on all economic and human development indices so far. Let him challenge the facts if he thinks otherwise.