Nigeria's Buhari sworn in for second term

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated for his second and last term Wednesday amid calls for him to do more to tackle festering insecurity and revitalize the sluggish economy.

Buhari, 77, was sworn in at a low-key ceremony in the capital, Abuja, attended by top chieftains of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and other local dignitaries.

He was first elected in 2015.

At least 29 state governors -- new and returning ones -- were also sworn in across the West African country.

The government had long said the event was not going to be elaborate as Nigeria rescheduled its National Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 in honor of a major martyr of its democratic struggles, Moshood Abiola.

Nigerians are divided over the scorecard of the former army general in his first term, including on the state of the economy, as attacks by armed bandits appear to have displaced Boko Haram as the country's number one security challenge that Buhari had inherited in 2015.

"As the new administration takes office for a four-year term, Amnesty Nigeria calls on the government to take concrete measures to ensure that human rights are better respected, protected, promoted and fulfilled in Nigeria," the global body said in a statement.

Buhari had won re-election in the Feb. 23 presidential ballot, beating main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, by an appreciable margin.

But the victory is now being challenged in court.

Ryan Cummings, a political and security risk analyst, said Buhari needs to step up his game to tackle the growing security crisis in the northwest and deepen the regional alliance to eliminate Boko Haram.

"The economy really needs to be diversified. There has been too much reliance on oil, even though the country has other resources to fetch more revenue for sustainable development," he told Anadolu Agency.

"Then the president's anti-corruption campaign needs to be more broad-based and more transparent than it was. He must address concerns that he targets only members of the opposition. The corruption indictments must be seen to be broad-based. People want to see more diligent prosecution and convictions. Then there's the need for reforms."