President Muhammadu Buhari (76)  has sworn for a second term to lead Nigeria, struggling with a sluggish economy, a growing threat of radical Islam insurgency, and expanding extreme poverty.

Buhari won 56% of votes in presidential election in February after promising to end conflict in the northeast, extend welfare programs and launch growth with infrastructure constructions.  Creation of jobs and reduction of the extreme poverty (87 million) remain the most challenging tasks for the second Buhari’s mandate.

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Fighting with the radical Islam militants of Boko Haram and other groups affiliated to Al-Qaida attempting to reconstruct Sokoto Caliphate, has been the ultimate challenge for Buhari since his first mandate. In spite of the considerable efforts,  the insurgency did not show any sings of fatigue.

The violence in the northwest has forced 20,000 refugees to flee to neighboring Niger.

According to the UN latest report, Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the most extreme poor people in the world.  The struggle to lift more citizens out of extreme poverty is an indictment on successive Nigerian governments which have mismanaged the country’s vast oil riches through incompetence and corruption.