Former President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigerians are overly impressed with materialism.
This, he believes, made it difficult for him to gain the support of many influential people in 2003, 2007 and 2011, when he ran for president and lost.
“Believe it or not, Nigeria, we are an underdeveloped country. We are impressed by our material possessions and sometimes we ruthlessly don’t care how you make money… you should be rich, have a fantastic house, flashy cars, travel abroad regularly,” Buhari said in a retrospective interview broadcast on Nigeria Television Authority late on Monday.
Recalling his three failed attempts at the presidency, he said: “I have had difficulty gaining support because Nigerians seem to be more impressed by material success rather than honor from those less privileged. We are a fantastic initiative.”
Buhari said although he ran for president three times and ultimately won in 2015, he failed to achieve all he set out to do during his term.
