|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Not satisfied with governance in three years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s outing, Nigerians are challenging the President and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to buckle up as they begin the last year of their four-year tenure.
Buhari, a former military ruler, who toppled democratically elected government of former President Shehu Shagari in 1983, but got removed from office in 1985, via a coup d’état by another military ruler, Ibrahim Babanginda, swept into power again in 2015 when he defeated President Goodluck Jonathan, then incumbent President in a keenly contested presidential election.
Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015, and with the mantra of ‘change’, promised to fight corruption, insecurity and reposition the economy for growth. The President claimed on Tuesday in a national broadcast to mark this year’s Democracy Day that his administration had delivered on most of its promises.
But his speech has elicited mixed reactions, with some Nigerians urging him to do more within the one year he’s got to round off his first tenure.
Muda Yusuf, director-general, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), in a live interview on a television monitored in Lagos, noted that though expectations of Nigerians were yet to be met, the administration deserved commendation in some areas.
Yusuf listed growth in Nigeria’s foreign reserve from $23 billion in 2015 when Buhari assumed office to about $47 billion currently, downward inflationary trends since the beginning of the year, but observed that this was yet to reflect in foods, which affect the “ordinary man in the street.”
LCCI DG also gave some credit to administration’s effort in the promotion of ease of doing business, business registration and improved process of visa issuance to foreign nationals seeking to doing business in Nigeria.
But he knocked the country’s inability to overcome the challenge of power, high cost of fund and diesel, all of which add to the cost of doing in Nigeria and put Nigerian businesses at a disadvantage when compared to what obtained in other economies with single digit interest on loans.
Labour leaders and workers also reacted to the broadcast.
Muhammed Kiri, president of Civil Service Union, said the administration had put in good efforts in tackling corruption but needed to do more to curb the daily killings in some parts of the country.
Kiri said that workers were impoverished because of many factors, including poor pay which he expressed the hope would soon be tackled by via an increase in national minimum wage promised by the government.
“As a member of the minimum wage committee, we will soon start the technical session to debate on pertinent issues that will help us reach a conclusion on the wage increase,” he said.
Didi Adodo, the general secretary of United Labour Congress (ULC), said that Nigerians, particularly workers expected more in the last three years because of the economic challenges.
Adodo said that some state government still owed thousands of workers salaries and allowances, which had further impoverished them.
“We expect more from the leaders that will reflect the desired change. Workers are still expecting a new minimum wage, insecurity has not abated and cost of goods are still high,” he said.
Simon Anchaver, president, Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN), appealed for stiffer measures that would reduce the killings in Benue and other states.
According to Anchaver, insecurity has affected agriculture produce, in spite of government’s efforts to pursue food security programme.
“Today, many cannot sleep with two eyes closed in Benue. Government has made some efforts, but the high rate of insecurity has made us not to feel the impact,” he said.
He also urged the government to introduce economic policies that will aid a drastic reduction on interest rate to boost businesses and agriculture so as create more employment opportunities and absorbed armies of unemployed youths.
