President Buhari 100 Days at Office

Yesterday, September 5, 2015 is an unusually
momentous day in Nigeria. Its build-up lasted
for several weeks, while its anticipation
stretches back as far as May. It’s neither a
national holiday

(it’s a Saturday) nor a day
of religious importance. Rather, it’s a day
when several state governors in the country
mark their 100thday in office. More
importantly though, it’s also the day that
the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, clocks 100 days
in office.
All over the world, the anniversary of the
first 100 days of any administration is
treated with much importance. It’s a day of
stocktaking; a day that affords the leaders
and the led an opportunity to measure the
performance of their government.
“The First 100 Days in Office” was coined
by former US president Franklin D. Roosevelt
in a July 24, 1933 radio address to his
countrymen and it has since gained global
currency. Over here in Nigeria, it’s been
consistently marked since the country’s return
to civilian leadership in 1999. The
administrations of presidents Olusegun
Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were all assessed
during this milestone. Today, it’s time for
President Buhari’s administration to be
assessed.
The verdict, it seems, had already been
passed several days before the actual
100thday in office. Throughout last week,
hashtags by disappointed Nigerians, such as
#100WastedDays and #100FailedPromises,
trended on microblogging site Twitter and
they are likely to reappear today.
Predictably, diehard supporters of President
Buhari will not take it lying down, they are
expected to counterattack with their own
panegyric hashtags.
I’m neither a diehard supporter of the
president nor a sworn enemy; I like to be
objective. My dispassionate personal
assessment of PMB’s first 100 days in
office shows that he has not performed as
badly as we’ve been made to believe.
Bearing in mind the country we are in, he’s
not expected to perform wonders within 100
days. Not even a Harry Potter, a Merlin or
a Gandalf can turn around in 100 days a
country that has been enmeshed in a deep
mess since the 1960s.
However, in spite of these difficulties,
President Muhammadu Buhari has been able
to record some successes in his first hundred
days in office.