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Roundup: Mixed reactions as Nigerians appraise first month of new government

Xinhua, June 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nigerians are expressing mixed reactions as they appraise the first month of the new central government led by Muhammadu Buhari who took office last month.

Buhari assumed office as president of Nigeria on May 29, having defeated former leader, Goodluck Jonathan, in the presidential election on March 28 in the West African country. He contested and won the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

His coming to office was not without high expectations from Nigerians who had long yearned for change in all areas, especially with regards to security and economy.

Immediately after Buhari took office, Nigerians had been looking forward to appraising the new government in its first month, hoping to see "CHANGE" -- a mantra the governing party chose to buy the hearts of electorates during election campaigns.

Security and economy are among the priorities Nigerians have set on the agenda for President Buhari. The governing party said the new administration inherited a huge debt of at least 60 billion U.S. dollars from the immediate past government.

Of course, as widely expected, this has caused war of words between the former governing party and the present governing party.

The opposition People's Democratic Party on Sunday slammed the new government, saying it has failed to show any positive commitment toward delivering its campaign promises to people of the West African country.

In a statement made available to Xinhua, the main opposition party while appraising the first month of the new government, described it as "all motion, no movement" and urged the Nigerian governing party to take urgent steps in addressing the myriads of challenges faced by the country.

"We urge Nigerians to join hands in prayers and offer useful suggestions to President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC because with what we have seen in the last 30 days, the present administration is finding it very difficult to get its bearings right while showing no inclination towards implementing its numerous campaign promises for which they were voted into office at the center," the opposition party said.

A presidential statement made available to Xinhua said contrary to claims made by the opposition party, the Buhari administration is naturally contemplative because there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to the way PDP ran the country, particularly in the immediate past dispensation.

"That is why the Augean Stable is being cleaned now, and it requires scrupulous and painstaking planning. Across all sectors, our national life was devalued, and it takes meticulousness and sure-footedness to repair all the breaches. This, the Buhari administration will deliver," said the statement signed by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina.

The social media is abuzz with comments from citizens with diverse interests. While some think it was too early to appraise the new government, others said the Nigerian leader ought to hit the ground running.

"It is already one month, we have not yet seen a sign of CHANGE. Time is running out," Ganiyu Afolabi, a student wrote in his Facebook wall on Monday.

Another citizen, Frank Olisa, on his twitter handle wrote: "We need time to fix the system. Slow and steady approach will make us get it right. Let us give the government time to get it right."

Since the inauguration ceremony of May 29, Buhari has visited four countries so far, to neighboring countries Chad and Niger, as well Germany and South Africa, for multipurpose reasons.

He also chaired a security meeting with leaders of member- nations of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, mapping out a way forward to combat Boko Haram and rout the terror group out of their territories.

Buhari, at his swearing-in ceremony, ordered the Military Command Center to be relocated to Maiduguri, capital of the northeastern Borno State and theater of Boko Haram's violence. The center has since been relocated.

However, the delay in the appointment of his cabinet members have set more tongues wagging, as many argue that this would slow down governance in the most populous country in Africa. Endi