Former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has defended the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that it left behind a flourishing nation with a strong economy, improved security and a solid foundation for successive governments.
While speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Monday, ahead of activities marking the first anniversary of Buhari’s death, Sirika dismissed suggestions that the former president’s policies plunged Nigerians into hardship.
According to him, Buhari’s administration recorded significant achievements despite the challenges it 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,” he said.
Though, while admitting he was not an economist, Sirika said his experience as a member of the administration gave him insight into the state of the country during Buhari’s tenure.
“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 said.
Asked whether Buhari left behind sufficient resources and a stable economy for his successor to build on, the former minister answered in the affirmative.
“I do believe so. I do believe that he left a country that was flourishing,” Sirika said.
The former minister, however, declined to comment on the policies of President Bola Tinubu, saying it would be unfair for him to publicly critique decisions taken by the current administration.
He argued that both Buhari and Tinubu were implementing policies rooted in the ideology of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“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,” he said.
Sirika added that neither Buhari nor Tinubu introduced policies with the intention of harming 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 spoke ahead of events being planned by allies and associates of the late former president to commemorate the first anniversary of his death. Buhari died on July 13, 2025.
