The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has said President Muhammadu Buhari performed below average since he took over the reins of the Nigerian government on May 29, 2015, till now.
MBF said Buhari’s administration has failed leaving Nigerians worse off than it met them seven and half years ago especially as insecurity and poor economy bite hard.
The forum said this on Wednesday in reaction to President’s statement that he has done his best for the country.
Buhari while meeting with Al-Mahfoudh Bin Bayyah, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Forum, and Bob Roberts, his deputy, in Washington DC, the United States, said solving the problems affecting youths was the priority of his government because they were the country’s promise for a better future.
According to a statement by Garba Shehu, a presidential media aide, Buhari said, “We are big in size and population, facing many challenges, but in many areas, we are trying. In seven-and-a-half years, I have done my best.”
MBF National President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, on the contrary, described the President’s claim as nothing but image-laundering in a foreign land.
Pogu said, “The statement from President Buhari was a self-assessment. Of course, nobody will say anything negative about himself. But we are Nigerians and we know that his performance has been below average.
“Whether you talk of the economy or security, which was the main issue in his campaign when he came into power, and other indices, you will know that he has failed and left Nigerians worse off.”
“When you talk of the economy, recall that when he came in 2015, the US dollar was exchanging for about N197 but today in the open market, it is exchanging for almost N800. Prices of goods and services have gone beyond the imagination of anybody.
“There is so much poverty and you can see poverty on the faces of the majority of Nigerians. Insecurity has grown from Boko Haram in the North- East to nationwide killings, kidnappings for ransom and all of that.”
MBF helmsman also discussed the infrastructural decay in the country under Buhari’s government, adding that the foreign embassies and the Nigerian citizens know the truth.
“If you talk of infrastructural development, there is nothing to celebrate. You cannot say, yes this is an achievement that he can talk about.
“So, I think he just wanted to launder his image but I believe the Embassies of foreign countries are here in Nigeria and they know the truth about what Nigerians have been going through in seven-and-a-half years. And we Nigerians also know the truth.
“So, looking at these indices, what the president has said is far from what obtains in this country. It is better for Mr President to accept that he has failed in so many areas but that he would do his best to right some of the wrongs before he leaves office. I think that would have been a better thing to say than to say that he has done his best,” Pogu added.
