Nigeria’s
new President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in on Friday, becoming the first
opposition figure to win a presidential election in the country’s recent
history.
The inauguration ceremony took place at the Eagle Square,
Abuja, and had in attendance several African heads of state as well as
Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who led the U.S. delegation to the ceremony
in a demonstration of the Obama administration’s readiness to strengthen ties
between Nigeria and the United States.
Buhari, 72, a former military ruler, takes over from
Goodluck Jonathan, who has ruled Africa’s most populous country since May 2010.
Buhari defeated Jonathan in the last presidential elections by 15.4 million
votes to 12.9 million.
Buhari has a tough task ahead of him. Among other things, he will have to
tackle insurgency from Boko Haram militants and stamp out corruption which
escalated to unprecedented levels during Jonathan’s tenure. He also faces
economic problems; falling oil prices have significantly slashed Nigeria’s
revenues, and Buhari will have to find new ways to diversify the country’s
economy to reduce its huge dependence on oil exports.
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