Buhari’s scorecard: Stakeholders rate President low

With the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari clocking a year today, OUR CORRESPONDENTS spoke with experts in different sectors of the economy who gave the President a performance scorecard

Manufacturing — Poor

Stakeholders in the manufacturing sector rated the President poor. Commenting on the sector, the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs, said, “The past one year has been the worst period in the history of manufacturing because of the fact that government policies made it difficult for manufacturers to plan.

“The issue of foreign exchange affected manufacturers to the extent that many of our members had to close shop while others operated at very low capacity because they did not have enough forex to buy their raw materials.”

The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, also said, “The economic policy space remains unclear. Policy conception is faulty; hence, policy coordination and implementation suffer serious setback. There is, therefore, an urgent need for central policy strategy with detailed and well-designed policy direction. This is critical for effective and efficient coordination and implementation of policies.”

Aviation — Poor

The administration was not rated better in the aviation sector either as stakeholders were unequivocal in submitting that his performance was poor.

A former Military Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, Group Capt John Ojikutu, said the Federal Government had done nothing in the aviation sector in the last one year.

According to him, the impact of the Buhari-led government had not been seen both at the public and private sectors.

He said, “When you look at FAAN, NAMA, NCAA, AIB and other agencies under the Ministry of Aviation, nothing has happened in the last one year. The process of commercialising FAAN and NAMA ought to have started while the NCAA and the AIB as regulatory agencies should have been strengthened. In terms of critical safety infrastructure, nothing has happened. The same thing applies to the private sector.”

Ojikutu noted that there was a long way to go in the aviation sector.

The Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Capt Nogie Meggison, also rated the aviation sector as poorly managed in the last one year.

Energy (Power, oil and gas) – Poor

The President, Nigerian Association of Energy Economics, Prof. Wumi Iledare, said, “Certainly, that the current minister (Ibe Kachikwu) is brilliant is an understatement. That he is energetic is not in doubt. But to think he has sole answers to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector challenges is foolhardy. Thus, I have no hesitance to give the current government a low grade with respect to the governance of the sector.

“That the current minister is the (NNPC’s) GMD cannot in my opinion be justified for the ineffective governance of the industry. It has made the governance of the sector more amorphous, confusing, regressive and perhaps dictatorial than in the last administration.

“There is no gainsaying that for nearly 20 years, the industry has been waiting for petroleum industry reform. I expected something on the PIB almost immediately the government was sworn in by the then National Assembly.”

The immediate past Chief Executive Officer, Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited, Mr. Adams Okoene, also said, “I don’t see a blueprint with clearly defined milestones towards achieving the energy sufficiency that this country needs; a thing like that must be visible to everyone.”

Construction/Housing — Poor

In the construction and housing sector, the verdict is poor.

A professor of housing and urban regeneration and the Dean, Daculty of Environmental Sciences,  University of Lagos, Gbenga Nubi, said, “Like most sectors, we haven’t done anything in housing.  Although there are programmes to build houses in the six geo-political zones of the country, the truth is that these programmes cannot really drive the country. The unfortunate thing also is that when housing comes after power and works as a portfolio, then we know that as a country, we are in trouble.

“It should have been reversed; housing should drive other sectors.  It’s a big ministry and we know that attention will not be given to housing, which is key to our national survival.

“So, subsuming it under power and works ministry goes a long way to tell us the position and place of housing in the heart of this present administration. The scoreboard in the last one year is actually poor.”

The Second Vice-President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Kunle Awobodu, said since the inception of this government, construction activities had been at low ebb.

Awobodu, who is also President, Building Collapse Prevention Guild, said, “Several companies in the sector have retrenched more than 50 per cent of their workers while others have closed down completely to venture into other things after selling their equipment.

“Government is the major client to professionals in the construction industry; so, if the government is not engaging in construction activities, the sector will be down. Overall, we can say the performance has been a bit fair not completely poor but it can get better. We are hoping that now that the budget has been passed, activities will pick up again.”

Money market/Finance — Poor

The submission of technocrats in the finance sector is that the Federal Government has performed poorly in the last one year.

The Chief Executive Officer, Renaissance Capital, a London-based investment bank and research firm, Mr. Temi Popoola, said although the new administration had a good economic team, the policy response to the challenges facing the economy was initially not effective.

He said, “In our view, the initial response to the global events, which impacted Nigeria could have been done differently. It has taken much time. The decisions on electricity tariff, currency regime and subsidy could have been taken earlier. I think we are now on the path of recovery.”

Similarly, the Managing Director, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, rated the economy as poorly managed.

But, a professor of economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sherrifdden Tella, scored the management of the economy under Buhari fair.

Capital market — Poor

In the capital market of the sector, the result is poor.

The President, Constance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Shehu Mikail, said the happenings in the stock market in the past one year were a reflection of the country’s economic stance, which had been very hostile in terms of policy direction.

He said the country was currently plagued by serious economic and financial challenges, which had resulted in activities being slowed down, especially in the financial sphere, which included the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Mikail, said, “The prices can be better if things turn around economically. The 2016 budget had been passed and the implication of the passage would start filtering into the economy in due course. With the recent forex flexibility, we expect the game to change.”

An analyst at WSTC Financial Services Limited, Mr. Tola Oni, also said in the last one year, the efficiency of the country’s economy had been constrained by policies – monetary and fiscal.

He noted that the country had not been able to chart the right path in the past one year, saying some actions by the government  in recent times had shown a rethink especially in the partial deregulation of the petroleum downstream sub-sector and the flexible foreign exchange market.

“Our concern is that this flexibility must mean flexibility in the whole sense of it. We’ve seen the capital market make progress recently owing to this. Any attempt by the government to interfere again could drag us back significantly,” he added.

Telecommunication — Poor

The outgoing President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said there were unmet expectations in the sector.

He specifically said the broadband penetration remained low; investor confidence weak, judging by the response to the recent spectrum auction that produced only one bidder. “Operators are still facing huge challenges,” he said.

Also, the President, National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers of Nigeria, Mr. Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has done well by coming out with a policy that mandates operators to roll over data for subscribers. So, the case of wiping out subscribers data completely at expiry date is no more, as such data can be rolled over when the subscriber recharges.

“However, the operators have failed, or refused, to implement this policy. The minister’s inability to ensure implementation is a very big challenge and something must be done about it.

“Secondly, the June 30, 2016 deadline given to operators by the Nigerian Communications Commission to stop unsolicited calls and text messages is a big plus for this administration. The NATCOMS has written to concerned committees in the National Assembly to ensure that there is maximum implementation by July 1.”

Maritime — Fair

The President was, however, given a fair rating in his performance in the maritime sector.

Spokesperson for the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, said the sector had recorded some progress in the area of indigenous shipping.

He lauded the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, for engaging and interacting meaningfully with indigenous shipowners.

Akinola, “This line of communication with indigenous shipowners was not happening in the past. It is from this interaction that the government will understand the challenges of the indigenous ship owners and address them.

“Already, he is trying to work with the industry to fashion out policies and programmes that will support the operation of indigenous ship owners.”

He, however, added that the Buhari-led administration inherited obnoxious policies such as the increased duty on rice, the fish import quota system and the national automotive policy. “These policies supported the diversion of cargo to other neighbouring countries. We are hopeful that these policies will be reversed in the second year as the first year of this administration might be too early to give the desired attention to every sphere of the Nigerian economy,” Akinola said.

The Secretary-General, Nigeria Ship owners Association, Tunji Brown, also gave the Buhari administration a pass mark in its efforts to turn around the maritime sector.

He said, “They are just at the first phase of putting policies together and drawing up a road map. So far, they have been transparent. We now know what is happening with the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund and the plans they have to develop the shipping sector.”

Health — Poor

Under health, the administration has been rated poor for its performance in the last one year.

Associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Akoka, Prof. Oladapo  Ashiru, said that the health sector suffered major setbacks under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

Ashiru noted that the Federal Government had yet to come up with any concrete policy on primary, secondary and tertiary health care while it had failed to act on those implemented by the previous administration.

He said, “The health sector has not fared well at all. There is nothing going on so far apart from the few appointments they had made. Nothing really has been done. No policy has come out to say that the administration is focusing on primary, secondary or tertiary health care. They have continued with the status quo.”

Ashiru added, “The teaching hospitals are at their lowest helm in terms of support. They are not able to deliver cutting- edge medical services because of lack of funds. They cannot embark on major research because they are still struggling to keep the hospital together.”

He also noted that Nigerians had had to pay more for health services in the last one year as the prices of drugs had increased astronomically.

Ashiru stated, “Most of the pharmaceutical companies have passed on their overheads to consumers because they cannot get dollar to import drugs.

There is little that is done in manufacturing in the health sector in Nigeria. Those that claim they are manufacturing are importing and assembling them here. We need to reverse this trend. Egypt once had this challenge but they overcame it by producing their drugs.”

Ashiru accused the administration of paying lip service to the ban on foreign medical treatment for government officials.

“The promise by this administration was to drive medical tourism to Nigerian hospitals. That has not happened. By now, top government officials should be patronising local hospitals. I’m yet to see anybody from government accessing care locally.

“They are still going abroad for treatment; if there are no sanctions by the Federal Government, medical tourism will frustrate any progress made in the health care sector in Nigeria.”

A former Vice- Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Ogun State, Dr. Adekunle Ashimi, said the fortunes of the health sector had dwindled since the current administration took over.

Ashimi said that many of the promises made by the Buhari-led administration to improve the health indices of Nigerians had not been fulfilled.

He said, “The much expected primary health care reform has yet to commence. The activation of 10,000 health centres were promised and we still await its take off. There is a lot of corruption going on in the health sector as regards management of grants from international donors and public funds. These challenges need to be addressed.”

Ashimi who condemned the approved 2016 budgetary allocation to the nations’ tertiary hospitals added that poor funding of public health institutions would make teaching hospitals redundant.

Education —Poor

It was also hard knocks for the administration in education.

For the former National Universities Commission Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, the Buhari administration started on a good note. The professor of Science Education, who admitted that the administration inherited several challenges, noted that it had started to impact on improving teacher numbers and quality; girl-child education as well as in the scholarship offers to children in the IDP camps.

Okebukola added, “I am aware of extensive plans to attend to such issues as improved facilities for teaching and learning and increase in enrolment and retention at the basic education level. I am also aware of the plan to establish new federal universities of science and technology. This is a good move to bolster Nigeria’s high-level human capacity in science and technology and spin us nicely into the fourth industrial revolution.

“We must not also lose sight of the administration’s school feeding programme, which will impact enrolment, participation and achievement of basic education pupils. I am sure that the implementation of the 2016 budget will translate to giant gains for the education sector.”

But tell that to the marines seems to be the response of the President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr. Usman Dutse. In his thinking, the past one year has been an era of hard times occasioned by underfunding.

Dutse said, “As far as education is considered particularly in the polytechnic sector, it has been tough times for institutions due to serious underfunding by the government. The schools are without governing councils, just as many rectors are on acting capacity. Again, workers have not been getting their salaries in full since January 2016.

“Sincerely, as it is now, nothing significant has been achieved in the last one year.”

The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr. Caleb Aborisade, agrees with Dutse.

The sector, he said, had not witnessed anything significant in the past one year.

Aborisade said, “There is no significant improvement in the allocation to the education sector in this year’s budget. Besides, the government should encourage teachers by exposing them to training and seminars to make them better. There is the need also to encourage local researchers. This will ensure the desired development in the country. Instead of depending on foreigners to drive our development efforts, I think the nation will benefit more if local researchers are encouraged.”

Sports — Poor

Top stakeholders and experts in the sports industry have given sports low marks under President Buhari.

Former Chief Justice and Attorney-General of Rivers State, Adokiye Amiesimaka, said there were no policy changes under the Buhari administration.

He also blamed the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, for his role in the crisis rocking the Nigerian football.

Amiesimaka, a 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, said, “There are two ways to look at sports: the element of chance, that is when things just happen, and policy direction, which is the input from those in charge of the implementation of the policies.

“In terms of chance, we haven’t won anything because we didn’t prepare to win and we don’t have a policy direction right now as far as I’m concerned. When we are going for competition, we wait until two weeks before the event before we start talking about money and camping. It’s the same old story.

“In football, the minister deliberately instigated the chaos in the Nigeria Football Federation by setting up a committee to resolve the so-called crisis between Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa. It’s disappointing from a minister. He should have instead concentrated on properly incorporating the NFF.”

Also, a former Edo State sports commissioner, Brown Ebewele, described the sports system as dead under Buhari.

“How can we move ahead in a dead system? In athletics, we went to the World Indoors and we didn’t qualify for the final of all the events we took part in and nobody is saying anything about it. It’s not only sports, the whole system has crashed,” Ebewele stated.

Speaking further, the former Nigerian athlete added, “As far as I’m concerned, we also failed in football, which government concentrates on. We didn’t qualify for the 2017 AFCON and the age-grade competitions where we win is a fraud.

“I told Solomon Ogba (the Athletic Federation of Nigeria boss) that the athletes competing in the junior events are men and not kids. Can you imagine our athletes have true ages and sports ages? If you talk, they look for ways to witch-hunt you. So, how can you say sports has done well under this administration? It’s a terrible situation.”

Security — Fair

Simeon Udie, a security expert, said, “Being a trained security person, a soldier himself, the security situation in the country has not been as required.

He met a fragmented police force; the question is what has he done to the police which is meant to take care of the internal security of the country?  For instance, in Lagos State, we have the RRS and so in other states. Hence, the finances which these states are supposed to be using to take care of other projects are being diverted to take care of the police. The Federal Government under his watch has not done anything extra about the police.

“Yes, the situation on Boko Haram has improved; the soldiers are winning the war. But there is the issue of the Niger Delta. It is disheartening to note that sometimes ago when the Niger Delta Development Corporation refurbished 10 or 12 boats, the military received them with so much joy but the situation is still bad.  We expect a reasonable amount of security attention in that area.

The President, Nigeria Anti-terrorist Group, Caxton Onabanjo, said although the administarion had made some inroads into some issues of security like the Boko Haram insurgency, it had yet to deal with corruption in the sector decisively.

He said, “This administration has not dealt decisively with the issues enough. Although the security agencies are trying their best, there are still more to be done. There are some people feeding fat on crimes; they ought to be tracked down and prosecuted; even the Fulani herdsmen crisis.”

Railway — Fair

The President, Railway African Workers’ Union, Mr. Ralph Okoro, said, “As much as I don’t want to be hard on Buhari, but all we have seen so far are promises upon promises. Nothing has actually happened. In the last one year, as far as railway is concerned, President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has not done anything. They have been saying that without the budget, there is nothing they can do for the railway.

“So far, we’ve not seen anything; but we are hopeful. The way the executive arm of government defended the inclusion of the Lagos-Calabar rail project in the 2016 budget gave us the hope that this government would make appreciable impact on the railways.

“There are a number of projects initiated for the railway by the Goodluck Jonathan administration. We expect the present government to take a critical look at them and take those it can execute and start from there. It should not jettison all of them.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the Connect Rail Service, Mr. Edeme Kelikume, said, “We may not be able to give a full assessment of this government’s one year in office in the area of railway because across all sectors, not much has been done. The Buhari regime is just trying to settle down. Don’t forget that the budget has just been passed.

“But from the legislative angle, a lot seems to be going on underground. For instance, the Railway Bill has gone through the second reading and the Senate has set up a committee to review it.

“The focus of the Buhari-led government has been to develop the standard gauge and high speed trains for the passengers, which is commendable. When it is delivered, it will revolutionise the haulage system.”

 Roads – Poor

A transport consultant and Managing Director, Newsletters Nigeria Limited, Dr. Oscar Odiboh, said, “In the area of road, there hasn’t been any improvement. I guess this is because road projects are tied to budgets. Road is a capital intensive project. The expressways are still in very bad shape; nothing has really changed.

“But one thing that we can see is the increased interest by automakers in setting up vehicle assembly plants in Nigeria. At least three new ones have started operation in the last one year. I think the people’s confidence in this area is growing.

“The government may not have achieved much because it took over from a rival political party, which required that it had to scrutinise all former projects before deciding on what to do next.”

A former Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Chike Etiobi, said, “Railway and road projects, even at the repair or maintenance level, are capital intensive. There is almost nothing any government can do without the approval of funds for such projects. I have listened to people criticise the government of being slow in taking action as regards railway and road; I think they are being unfair to the administration. In reality, we have not seen anything. But with what we have seen approved in the 2016 budget for the sector, there is a lot of hope.”

 Agriculture – Fair

The Country Manager for Nigeria, Harvest Plus, Mr. Paul Ilona, said, “I score the new Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh,  high because I have seen the template for the agricultural sector. Since the budget has just recently been signed into law, there is not much he could have done before now in the absence of a budget.

“I think by the time the money gets pumped in, there is no doubt that we shall begin to reap the result of the well planned agricultural projects.”

The Chairman, Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Ogun State branch, Mr. Olusesan Sowunmi, said, “Notwithstanding the fact that agriculture is an integral part of the economy, one year is still too early to judge the Muhammadu Buhari administration. We should also consider that this administration met a lot of problems on the ground. We have been promised an improvement in the agric sector and we hope to see it as the administration forges ahead.

“The stakeholders held a meeting recently on the palliatives for the removal of fuel subsidy vis-à-vis the challenges facing the agric sector and potency of cocoa as an export-oriented crop. We want this administration to continue with the past administration’s endowment programme for the sector. We are going to give the administration time and chance with the hope that the sector will receive a boost.”