Research firm scores Presidency low on 100-day milestone

President Muhammadu Buhari is receiving mixed performance reviews as his administration approaches its first hundred days in office. Although initial moves, especially around corruption and security appear promising, the silence in other critical areas have disappointed analysts and watchers.

Research firm SBM Intelligence in its report gave an assessment of the administration, using the campaign promises of the President and his party as a scorecard.

During the campaign, the President’s promises covered 24 areas, from Accountability in Public Service to Youth Development, and the firm drew these from the manifesto.

According to the research firm, the strongest points for the administration in the first 100 days, have been moves to improve national security, for which it scored the administration 31.25 percent, and foreign relations in which it gave a score of 36.7 percent. On security and foreign relations, the President’s meetings with the US, UK and neighbours in the Lake Chad region led to the formation of a Multinational Joint Task Force, and the appointment of a new national security team is expected to give a renewed vigour to the fight against Boko Haram.

However, with 9 of the 24 campaign areas yet to record any activity, a factor which has been attributed to the absence of a cabinet, analysts are less than pleased.

In addition to the absence of a cabinet, the president has not yet detailed a plan to tackle the country’s struggling economy.

During his watch, the naira turned volatile due to China’s economic slowdown, which sent the prices of commodities such as copper and oil into a nosedive. The naira has fallen around 15 percent over the last year, which has fuelled inflation despite the central bank spending billions of dollars to bolster the currency.

The nation’s economic growth also plummeted in the second quarter to 2.35 percent from 6.54 percent recorded at the corresponding period last year.

Although cabinet members are expected to be installed later this month, this will be the longest any Nigerian leader has gone without a cabinet. The President has been dealing exclusively with Permanent Secretaries in the first 100 days, presumably to acquaint himself with activities in each ministry, especially as regards the document of the Transition Committee, according to the firm.

SBM notes that most of the progress which have been made in the first 100days have been in areas where the President had a 100 percent prerogative of appointment, and in areas where there was no activity, framework for engagement depended on the National Assembly.

“The leadership crisis in both chambers has ensured that no real legislative work has been done”, SBM’s report says. “The handling of the relationship between the executive and the legislature will be critical to much of the initiatives of the Buhari government”, it said further.

“In the bigger picture, the government cannot run on the president’s personal influence alone and will require collaboration with other organs of government as well as a strong and determined team”.

Expectations for the next 100 days according to the firm will include: appointment of ministers and key officials of the administration, unveiling of policy documents and frameworks, engagement between the National Assembly and the Executive, engagement with the Judiciary to ensure effective anti-corruption drive, concrete results of the President’s security strategy in the North-East and the Middle Belt, and the 2016 budget

With the president having spent about 6.8 percent of his time as President the research outfit is however of the opinion that the Buhari administration is on course to fulfil promises in the manifesto areas that are viewed as his strengths.

However, it is evident that in order to fulfil his campaign promises especially in areas that are traditionally viewed as his weak areas, the team he assembles to work with him in executive capacity, as well as his ability to coordinate efforts with the legislature and the judiciary will be critical.

Edozie Ifebi