5 most hated politicians in Nigerian history

If there’s one thing that unites Nigerians across ethnic, religious, and political lines, it’s our collective anger towards politicians who have made life unbearable for the average citizen. 

Many of these politicians stole billions without shame, others turned the country into their personal ATM. A few even had the audacity to rule with an iron fist while ordinary Nigerians suffered.

These leaders are so terrible that their legacies are stained with the tears of the people they failed.

1. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 'the Jagaban of suffering'

No Nigerian leader has ever been as universally loathed in such a record time as Tinubu. We’ll be right to say he’s the most hated president in living memory. 

Within months of his May 2023 inauguration, the "Renewed Hope" slogan became a cruel joke as he unleashed the most painful economic policies in decades. The overnight removal of fuel subsidies wasn't just poorly executed, it was economic arson, instantly tripling transportation costs and skyrocketing food prices. 

Then came the naira devaluation that wiped out savings and crippled countless businesses. But what truly enrages Nigerians is the tone-deafness. Spending millions on the presidential jet while claiming "subsidy is gone", or urging citizens to "endure suffering" while he globe-trots, feels like a slap in the face. And let’s not even get started on the billions in taxpayer money spent on solar power, while the rest of the country continues to endure epileptic power supply and constant grid collapses.

It’s quite unfortunate that Tinubu has somehow made Nigerians feel nostalgic for the Buhari years.  

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2. Muhammadu Buhari

When Buhari took office in 2015, Nigerians were desperate for change after Jonathan's lacklustre administration. The "Sai Baba" movement wasn't just political support, it was a national prayer for deliverance. 

Citizens celebrated his victory with the hope that this time, things would be different. But within two years, that hope curdled into bitter regret. This was supposed to be the disciplined military general who would fix Nigeria, but instead became "Baba Go Slow", a painfully ironic nickname for a man who moved at snail's pace while Nigeria burned. 

Under his watch, insecurity spread like wildfire, with bandits operating like parallel governments in the Northwest. The economy nosedived into two recessions, yet his government kept borrowing until our debt profile ballooned to trillions of naira. 

By 2022, even his most ardent supporters couldn't defend the unaffordable fuel prices, crumbling naira, and ASUU strikes that kept students home for eight months! When he left office in 2023, many Nigerians were relieved that his torturous eight years were over, not knowing the worst was yet to come.

3. Goodluck Jonathan

History might remember Jonathan kindly for conceding defeat in 2015, but Nigerians remember his presidency as an era of shocking incompetence. 

Here was a man who watched like a bystander as Boko Haram grew from a nuisance to a territorial force, kidnapping 276 Chibok girls under his nose while his government fumbled the response. 

We cannot forget his wife Patience's infamous "There is God o!" outburst that perfectly captured the frustration of citizens watching their country being looted into the ground. 

By 2015, even his own people in the South-South had turned against him.

4. General Sani Abacha 

If evil had a face in Nigerian history, it would wear dark sunglasses and a military cap. General Sani Abacha wasn’t just a dictator; many have described him as a thief, a murderer, and a man who ruled with pure terror.

Under his regime (1993-1998), Nigeria became a global pariah. He executed activists like Ken Saro-Wiwa, jailed dissidents, and siphoned over $5 billion of public funds; money that could have built hospitals, schools, and roads.

His death in 1998 remains one of Nigeria’s biggest mysteries. Officially, he had a "sudden heart attack." But rumours say he ate a poisoned apple. Some claim by a prostitute, others say by his own inner circle. Whatever the truth, nobody mourned when he died. In fact, many celebrated in the streets.

5. Ibrahim Babangida 

General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) was a smooth-talking dictator who ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993. He was charming, educated, and a master manipulator, hence his nickname "Maradona."

He annulled the June 12, 1993 election, widely believed to have been won by MKO Abiola, and that single decision plunged Nigeria into chaos and delayed democracy for years.

He also introduced the infamous Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), which destroyed the economy and made life hell for ordinary Nigerians.

Honorable mention

Nyesom Wike

Nyesom Wike, a former Rivers State Governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), remains a deeply divisive figure in Nigerian politics. Although he is praised for notable infrastructural development, many Nigerians have expressed concerns over his leadership style and political decisions.

During the 2020 #EndSARS protests, Wike tried to prohibit demonstrations in Rivers State, a move widely condemned as undemocratic. He also sanctioned the demolition of two hotels accused of breaching COVID-19 protocols, drawing accusations of heavy-handedness. His administration’s arrest and detention of political opponent Farah Dagogo further fuelled criticism, as it was seen as a tactic to suppress dissent.

In 2019, Wike sparked controversy when he publicly declared Rivers a “Christian state.” This declaration was denounced by groups like the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), which argued that it was divisive and violated Nigeria’s secular constitution.

Wike’s political decisions have also been viewed as self-serving. Though a member of the PDP, he backed the rival APC during the 2023 presidential race, prompting allegations of disloyalty. 

His eventual appointment as FCT Minister by the APC added to the backlash. Moreover, his strained relationship with his successor, Governor Fubara, and reported attempts to control his administration have heightened fears of political interference.

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Will Nigeria ever have good leaders?

Every election cycle, Nigerians perform the same painful ritual: we queue under the scorching sun, ink our fingers with hope, and whisper prayers that this time, things will be different. Yet, decades after independence, we remain trapped in a vicious cycle where each new leader somehow manages to outdo the last in disappointment.

Nigeria has a systemic rot that rewards the worst among us. The same politicians who loot billions today were the ones who grew up watching their predecessors do the same without consequence. The system is designed to keep recycling failure, where loyalty to political godfathers matters more than competence, and corruption is not an exception but the rule.

It's quite unfortunate that in Nigeria, politicians don’t rise to their level of competence; they rise to their level of corruption. The more you steal, the more powerful you become.

Yet, despite all this, there are flickers of resistance. The 2020 #EndSARS protests proved that Nigerians can unite against oppression. The #EndBadGovernance movement showed that hunger for real change exists, even if the system crushed it. The question isn’t whether Nigeria can have good leaders, it’s whether the system will allow them to emerge.

We cannot keep waiting for a messiah to save us. We have to dismantle the system that keeps producing thieves in agbadas. And until then, we’ll keep cycling through variations of the same nightmare of different faces, same suffering. 

But, despite all this suffering, if there’s one thing Nigerians have in abundance, it’s stubborn hope. And maybe, just maybe, that hope will one day break the curse.

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