In April, majority of Nigerians expressed concerns with President Muhammadu Buhari’s “broken campaign promises”, his handling of Nigeria’s fuel crisis and economy, but the president’s overall approval rating for the month rose slightly to 31.7 per cent, from 31.2 per cent in March, a new poll says.
The monthly survey conducted by Governance Advancement Initiative for Nigeria, GAIN, says while respondents gave slightly higher positive outlook on economy and jobs, 71 per cent of respondents wanted the government to provide investments in the agricultural sector.
A majority of 55 per cent approved of Mr. Buhari’s foreign trips, which the government says is meant to attract investments.
The positive approval rating is the first since January. GAIN started its poll in December, 2015, tracking performance of governments at all levels in Nigeria.
In earlier months, the poll found that majority of respondents blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan, not Mr. Buhari, for Nigeria’s poor economy.
In March, the poll said more respondents blamed Mr. Buhari for not turning the economy around.
“April has been an eventful month. Although the fuel scarcity problem has started to ease, the power sector continues to struggle, largely due to the vandalism of pipelines,” said GAIN, jointly coordinated by Malcolm Fabiyi, a former visiting professor at the Lagos Business School, and Adeleke Otunuga, a management consultant.
The poll said respondents rated the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, as top performing minister, replacing Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh who was at that spot in March.
The April GAIN survey was administered using electronic media. Six hundred and three complete responses were received, the coordinators said.
Poll Results
Key highlights
High performance rating for the Buhari government inched higher to 37.1%
Majority (55%) approve of President Buhari’s foreign trips
71% of respondents want government to provide investments in the agricultural sector
Respondents give slightly higher positive outlook on economy and jobs
Major reasons for Nigerians’ concerns with the Buhari Government are Petroleum scarcity (71%), Economy (68%), Power (64%) and Broken campaign promises (57%)
Nigerian Army maintains status as the most respected National Institution
Nigerian presidency remains 3rd rated National institution, behind Army and EFCC
Lai Mohammed (Information) rated top performing minister; Ibe Kachikwu climbs back to second place
Anti-Corruption war falls below 50% priority level for the second consecutive month as Nigerians remain disappointed by lack of convictions
83% express dissatisfaction with Government’s handling of Fulani Herdsmen crisis
Summary
April has been an eventful month. Although the fuel scarcity problem has started to ease, the power sector continues to struggle, largely due to the vandalism of pipelines. As for the anticorruption war, April was another month of extended legal maneuverings in the courts and at the CCB tribunal, leaving Nigerians increasingly frustrated about the lack of results and convictions. President Buhari was able to chalk up some positive outcomes from his foreign travels, with a reported $6 Billion in investment commitments from his China visit. The month of April also saw the breaking of sensational news reports about a $115 million slush fund allegedly provided by the former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke to rig the 2015 elections. Several Banking Chiefs were implicated in the laundering of the funds in the banking system. There was also a protracted budget crisis between the executive and legislative arms of government. All of these realities are reflected in the April polls.
