Amaechi made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, challenging Nigerians to compare their standard of living under Buhari with their current circumstances.
He pointed to the exchange rate, petrol prices and alleged corruption as examples of why he believes Nigerians had a better experience under the previous administration.
According to Amaechi, Buhari had predicted that Nigerians would eventually miss his leadership, a statement he believes is now becoming a reality.
“I always like to quote the former president, Buhari. He will say, ‘People will call me back.’ Nigerians will say, ‘We miss former President Buhari’; are they not saying that now?
“The reason why they are saying that is: compare your life when President Buhari was alive and was the president of Nigeria, and your life now; which one will you choose?” he said.
The former minister further claimed that when the Buhari administration left office, the dollar exchanged for about N600, while petrol sold for less than N300 per litre.
He also questioned whether allegations of corruption under Buhari could be compared with what he described as the situation under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“The stealing in Buhari’s government, if there was stealing in Buhari’s government, can you compare it to what is going on now? What is going on now is what I call ‘Alibaba and the 40 thieves’,” Amaechi stated.
However, when asked whether some of the economic challenges the Tinubu administration is currently trying to address originated from policies implemented under Buhari, particularly his refusal to remove the petrol subsidy, Amaechi firmly dismissed the suggestion.
“Name one,” he responded.
