A wave of strong reactions flooded social media on Saturday after an X user, Harry Da Trigot (@trigottista), posted a blunt and controversial prayer concerning former president Muhammadu Buhari’s reported health issues.
“May Allah handle Buhari’s health the way Buhari handled Nigeria,” the post read.
The tweet struck a nerve across the platform, prompting a storm of replies from Nigerians who used the moment to air longstanding frustrations over Buhari’s eight-year rule. Many took the opportunity to frame his alleged illness as poetic justice for what they describe as years of pain, repression, and economic hardship.
A user, @Osikhena2014, wrote, “Amen. May Buhari receive the same judgments the panel gave against the executioners of # EndSARS. May his receive the same reward. Amen.”
Another, @timmy_sola, added: “You see life now. When we are telling you people to stop supporting evil, you come out to defend what can’t be defend. You can’t simply say Amen to a prayer… If he had done what’s right you all could have said, Amen, because you all knew the man masterminded the killings of innocent.”
Still, such sentiments were drowned out by the avalanche of criticisms and mockery. For many, Buhari’s name remains synonymous with failure, injustice, and betrayal—especially among younger Nigerians who lived through fuel price hikes, naira crashes, clampdowns on dissent, and unanswered calls for reform.
Another user, @Focus_fac, sarcastically noted, “I am expecting Amin to full here because with the statistics we saw online, Buhari ruled well pass Jonathan; even one said he is God-sent. So is a prayer to him for all his restless night work towards this country.”
This online backlash is the latest reminder that Buhari’s legacy continues to provoke anger, not reverence. Even in apparent sickness, many Nigerians are unwilling to extend sympathy, instead choosing to remind him—and the world—of the harm they believe he inflicted on the nation.
