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. 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.
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.
Source : CHINEDU GEORGE NNAWETANMA
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