Comparison of President Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari Civil Administrations of Socio-Economic Affairs

Abstract

The socio-economic development of any society is relatively dependent on the nature,
character and pattern of its administrative leadership. Since its independence, Nigeria
witnessed different administrations or regimes with their concomitant implications on
the socio-economic development and well-being of its citizens. This paper examines
the President Obasanjo's (1999-2007) and Buhari's (2015-date) administrations and
their implications on socio-economic development in Nigeria. The data gathered are
mainly from the secondary sources and analyzed using the content method of data
analysis. The paper adopts the elite theory to serve as a theoretical foundation for the
study. The comparative study revealed that socio-economic development remain part
of the major challenges of leadership bedeviling both administrations in Nigeria.
However, the Buhari’s administration demonstrated much leadership inapt in
addressing the socioeconomic challenges of Nigeria. Top on the scale are insecurity,
corruption, pervasive poverty and loss of lives and properties, high level of crimes
among others, which further affects the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians. The
paper concluded that even though the fight against corruption and insecurity are on the
front burner of both administrations, more proactive measures need to be put in place
in tackling the menace headlong, and issues such as high levels of poverty, massive
unemployment and the problem of immunity clause need to be revisited.