Written By : Chinedu George Nnawetanma100 Days in Office: 8 Key Achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari By Chinedu George Nnawetanma
Today,
September 5, 2015 is an unusually momentous day in Nigeria. Its
build-up lasted for several weeks, while its anticipation stretches back
as far as May. It’s neither a national holiday (it’s a Saturday) nor a
day of religious importance. Rather, it’s a day when several state
governors in the country mark their 100thday in office. More importantly
though, it’s also the day that the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, clocks 100 days in office.
All over
the world, the anniversary of the first 100 days of any administration
is treated with much importance. It’s a day of stocktaking; a day that
affords the leaders and the led an opportunity to measure the
performance of their government.
“The First 100 Days in Office”
was coined by former US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in a July 24,
1933 radio address to his countrymen and it has since gained global
currency. Over here in Nigeria, it’s been consistently marked since the
country’s return to civilian leadership in 1999. The administrations of
presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan were all assessed during this milestone. Today, it’s time for
President Buhari’s administration to be assessed.
The verdict, it
seems, had already been passed several days before the actual 100thday
in office. Throughout last week, hashtags by disappointed Nigerians,
such as #100WastedDays and #100FailedPromises, trended on microblogging
site Twitter and they are likely to reappear today. Predictably, diehard
supporters of President Buhari will not take it lying down, they are
expected to counterattack with their own panegyric hashtags.
I’m
neither a diehard supporter of the president nor a sworn enemy; I like
to be objective. My dispassionate personal assessment of PMB’s first 100
days in office shows that he has not performed as badly as we’ve been
made to believe. Bearing in mind the country we are in, he’s not
expected to perform wonders within 100 days. Not even a Harry Potter, a
Merlin or a Gandalf can turn around in 100 days a country that has been
enmeshed in a deep mess since the 1960s.
However, in spite of
these difficulties, President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to record
some successes in his first hundred days in office.
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Below are 8 of the key achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in his maiden 100 days in office:
Renewed Vigour in the War against Boko Haram
One
of the key achievements of the Muhammadu Buhari administration thus far
is the overhaul of the dysfunctional topmost hierarchy of the Nigerian
military. Since May 29, new service chiefs have been brought in, the
military command centre has been moved to the heart of the war in
Maiduguri and the troops’ morale and confidence are on an upswing.
Furthermore, the United States government has finally agreed to commit
their resources to the fight against the insurgents after previously
backing out of negotiations with the previous Nigerian government,
citing alleged human rights abuses by the Nigerian military. The Israeli
government has also indicated their interest in helping Nigeria win the
war,if the words of Speaker Yakubu Dogara are anything to go by.
Waging a “Non-Negotiable” War against Corruption
On
August 30, President Muhammadu Buhari, through his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the war his
administration is currently waging on corruption in the country as
“non-negotiable.” In his words: “It is sine qua non to the overall
reconstruction of the economy and social system which have suffered
destruction and severe denigration under the last administration.” Be
that as it may, the present government must learn to go about its probe
of the immediate-past Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration with more
hush and decorum, so that it looks less like a persecution and more like
an actual prosecution.
Appreciable Improvement in Power Supply in Various Parts of the Country
Though
some parts of the country are yet to witness it, there’s been a marked
upswing in power supply in many parts of the federation since May 29.
According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), power generation
in the country reached an all-time high of 4,810.7MW on August 25,
2015. This represents a major departure from what was obtainable in the
past, when it usually hovered around 2,000MW and sometimes dipped below
that. However, it should be noted that the power supply is still far
from stable and hardly is 4.8 thousand megawatts enough for a country of
over 175 million people.
Cleanup of the Messy NNPC
As
the “juiciest” fragment of the national economy, the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has, for decades, been the nexus of
unchecked, gargantuan corruption. Administration after administration
either abated the wild corruption going on in this organization or
simply failed to properly keep it in check. This, it seems, will no
longer be the case as concerted efforts are now being made to declutter
the cesspit.
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May God bless the president and enrich him with knowledge to move this country forward.
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Mending of Nigeria’s Fractured Relationship with the World Powers
Nigeria’s
relationship with the global powers, especially the West, sank to its
post-1990s nadir prior to the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as the
country’s president. The assent of ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
to the anti-gay marriage bill that was passed by the National Assembly,
the confusion surrounding the abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls and
the government’s slow response to it, alleged human rights abuses
perpetuated by the Nigerian military, mounting allegations of unbridled
widespread corruption as well as some economic and political
disagreements with the West behind the scenes all conspired to make
Nigeria very unpopular in the international community. At some point,
Nigerians were being treated with disdain and subjected to inhuman
treatments in foreign lands as a consequence. But, so far under
President Buhari, things are discernibly beginning to look up.
Prioritizing Regional Cooperation
Following
in the footsteps of his predecessor, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President
Muhammadu Buhari has made regional integration within the West African
subregion one of the priorities of his administration. This policy
direction is not only economically vital, but it will also be critical
if the war against insurgency is to be won.
Returning Discipline to the Polity
Due
to the president’s no-nonsense personality as against his predecessor’s
more laissez-faire disposition, some level of discipline has been
restored to various sectors of the country, especially the public
sector. A laissez-faire approach may work in more civilized countries,
but in an unruly country such as ours, an uncompromising approach is the
only thing that can bring us back to sanity.
Reducing the Size and Cost of Governance
When
– and if – implemented, President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to
significantly cut down the number of ministries, agencies and
departments (MDAs) in the country by merging the duplicates and
jettisoning the non-performers will inadvertently save Nigeria monies to
the tune of hundreds of billions of naira that are needlessly spilled
from the national treasury into their maintenance. The successful
blockage of these leakages does not only make economic sense, but it
will also be a giant leap in the fight against corruption.
Chinedu George Nnawetanma wrote in from Owerri.Contact him via email,cnnawetanma@gmail.com
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