Nigerians consider Buhari's 2 years in office

By Rafiu Ajakaye

ABUJA, Nigeria

Economic hardship, a lack of security and ethnic strife are some of the problems facing Nigeria after more than two years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s rule.

At a town hall meeting in the capital Abuja, a group of civil society activists and academics have gathered to assess the administration’s performance to date.

“It is 881 days in office and we at the BuhariMeter use this platform to assess the policy options of the president,” Idayat Hassan, director of the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), said as she gave the opening speech.

When he was elected in May 2015, Buhari identified defeating the Boko Haram terror campaign, reviving the economy and working to abolish corruption as his three main goals.

However, Hassan said Nigerians remained disenchanted with biting economic realities, ongoing ethnic agitation and interagency rivalry in the fight against corruption, which has seen some of Buhari’s own officials accused of misconduct.

“The drama with the Senate confirmation of the acting chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission questions whether the government is at war with itself,” she said, referring to corruption allegations against the nominee for the anti-graft commission.

Hassan added that large parts of the country remained unsafe as Boko Haram continued its attacks despite Buhari’s assurances and violence between farmers and tribal herdsmen unchecked.

The #StateOfNigeria meeting has been organized by the CDD, which set up BuhariMeter to track the success or otherwise of campaign promises.

“The last few months have witnessed growing debates over the deplorable state of the economy, increasing poverty and unemployment, grievances of agitations, sense of hopelessness and dissatisfaction, among others,” the organizers said in a statement.

“Notwithstanding discordant opinion on alternative policy frameworks, the need for Buhari’s administration to swiftly, inclusively and practically respond to the numerous socio-economic and political challenges of Nigeria by rethinking its approaches and strategies has been emphasized.”