A few days ago, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan marked his first 100 days in office amidst security and other dire challenges in the country. In this report, FRED ITUA sampled the opinion of ordinary Nigerians on this remarkable event and what they expect in the next four years.
The first 100 days of a presidential term took on a symbolic significance during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration in the United States. The period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. From England to America, the symbolic relevance of this period is a serious business. As Nigeria’s president marked his first 100 days in Aso Rock, what has his administration achieved within the period? Or should we rather take solace in the assertion of Athol Trollip, leader of the opposition in the South African National Assembly democratic alliance. He said, “The first 100 days in office of a new leader is a helpful tool for identifying some broader patterns and trends, but it is of little help in measuring particulars of leadership or governance because it is entirely random, and is an entirely inadequate period of time to measure impact.
Real change takes much longer to become apparent.” Beyond the first 100 days of President Jonathan, what are the expectations of Nigerians for the next 1,360 days that totals up his remaining period in office?
United States President, Barak Obama, at the end of his first 100 days in office had the approval of 65 percent of Americans as against the 29 percent who disapproved of what he had done within the time frame. According to Gallup’s first quarter survey in April of 2009, President Obama received a 63 percent approval rating. Prime minister of Britain, David Cameron got a similar approval rating of more than 50 percent after his first 100 days in office. Cameron’s rating owed its credit to his austerity budget that cut spending and raised taxes by almost ?120 billion. His plan for the biggest change in the National Health Service in its history in England was very remarkable. Can the same be said of President Goodluck Jonathan after his first 100 days in office?
For Martins Osagie, a staff of Stanbic-IBTC Bank in Abuja, that President Goodluck Jonathan’s first 100 days in office? would have counted but sadly,? the abysmal security challenges suffocating his administration are enough to distract him. He, however, emphasised that Jonathan must focus on four key areas within the next four years: stable power supply, building of infrastructure, reduction of inflation, and the revival of the agricultural sector. The respondent went further to expatiate on these critical areas. According to him, “President Goodluck Jonathan must drastically reduce Nigerians’ dependence on generators; he must build critical infrastructure, including roads, hospitals and schools. He must also reduce inflation, and all his policies and programmes must trickle down and affect every man on the street.”
On agriculture, he said, “Agriculture is critical to Nigeria’s survival in the short, medium and long term. We must not only assist peasant and subsistence farmers, we must also actively encourage mechanised farming. By mechanized farming I do not mean the government’s usual style of enriching a few rich people by giving bogus loans.”
Idoren Otung, an Abuja resident, also bears spoke on what the Nigerian government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan must achieve within the next four years. “While I acknowledge the importance of his first 100 days in office, I strongly believe Nigerians should look beyond that and express their expectations for the next four years.? ?
In my sincere opinion, few things should be at the heart of Jonathan’s administration for the next four years, and these things will replicate in other sectors of the economy.” On power and employment generation, the respondent said, “Goodluck Jonathan should first of all, as a matter of urgency, direct every resource to making the energy? (power) sector work seamlessly to pave way for small businesses to spring up and thrive in all parts of the country, thereby lifting the burden of increasing unemployment from the government. That singular project will, in no small measure, turn the fortunes of Nigerians around.”
On corruption, she suggests, “It is a known fact that corruption is a global scourge, but it is also important to note that corruption will only be reduced to a reasonable extent when capital punishment is in place to serve as deterrent to those who want to take that road. In line with this, the president should overhaul the anti-corruption agencies and give them independence, free from every form of interference within and outside the Presidency.”
In conclusion, Idoren gave this piece of advice, “All these cannot be achieved in a society constantly under the threat of hoodlums. Security of lives, property and investments are key in realising all his lofty intentions for Nigeria and Nigerians. He should therefore charge security agencies to fish out the perpetuators of these heinous crimes and deal with them.”
There are other critical areas the government under the leadership of President Jonathan must address. According to an HR expert, “President Goodluck Jonathan should tackle the issue of security in Nigeria because, generally speaking, the police and the entire intelligence community are in a pitiable state. There has to be a well structured security in place.’’
He threw a few lights on power. According to him, “Power generation must be central to his government. If he wants Nigeria’s Vision 20: 2020 to work, he must invest in power generation because without power, there cannot be industrialisation.’’
Charles Ojo, a businessman resident in Benin City, Edo State, believes that addressing the issue of employment generation is the key to Nigeria’s development. He also believes that the president, with a strong commitment can achieve this within the next four years. ‘’A huge number of Nigerian graduates are unemployed and this poses a serious danger to the already volatile state of the nation and its stability,” he said; adding “It is not the responsibility of the government to complain of its inability to combat this scourge, blaming it on non- ineligibility of these graduates when the government has refused to adequately fund the education sector.’’ On the way forward, he suggests that government must fine-tune ways to create jobs by opening up the informal sector of the economy. “Most of the jobs done by Chinese, Indian and Lebanese nationals can be handled by jobless
Nigerian graduates if they are
adequately empowered by training and soft loans at low interest rates to be paid back over a long period of time.”
For President Goodluck Jonathan therefore, the fun-fair is over; it is time to sit back and steer the affairs of the nation; and as the leader of the national government, the president must live up to the thrust of leadership placed on his shoulders. There are, however, other critical areas some of the opinions gathered did not address which are also central to the growth of the Nigerian nation.
In the final analysis, Nigerians should realise that the problems of this country cannot be addressed in four years, and therefore, not expect sudden miracles from Goodluck Jonathan. He can only address a few and set the country in motion so other successive governments can continue. No excuse is good enough for failure and the president must eschew all forms of excuses.
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