Nigeria Former Military Ruler Takes over as Elected President

Elected president Muhammadu Buhari took over from Goodluck Jonathan on Friday in a climate of tension following a month of fuel scarcity in Nigeria. Buhari, representing the All Progressives Party which was founded in 2013 ahead of the elections, ruled Nigeria after a coup d’etat in 1983. He now describes himself as a “converted democrat” and made history by being the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent president in an election.

Holding a Quran, Buhari announced in his acceptance speech that he would fight Boko Haram, which he described as a “mindless, godless group, who are as far away from Islam as one can think.”

RELATED: Nigeria Fuel Scarcity to End Before New President Takes Office

High-level representatives from about 30 countries attended the ceremony, including South African President Jacob Zuma, and the foreign ministers from the U.S., U.K. and France, John Kerry, Philip Hammond and Laurent Fabius respectively.

Having campaigned on anti-corruption pledges, it is thought Buhari could look into allegations of wrongdoing during Jonathan’s tenure.

Nigeria has been crippled by strike actions by fuel distributors in the past month, and although marketers have now gone back to work, Buhari in inheriting a rather difficult situation. Buhari officials have Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party of “sabotage,” saying they are leaving the country in a terrible situation for the new president.

RELATED: The World Today with Tariq Ali – Nigerian Tales