10 reasons Buhari's popularity is dropping drastically

               
No doubt, President Muhamadu Buhari’s popularity is gradually dropping following the various challenges the nation is facing. The people had high hopes and expectations from the Buhari administration and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

They believed in the APC’s ‘Change’ mantra and were very optimistic things were going to get better. Immediately after Buhari was sworn in May 29, Nigerians were happy with the improvement in power supply and they attributed it to the body language of Buhari. Anybody who tried to criticise the president was referred to as the ‘wailing wailers’
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Ten months down the line, the people who were chanting ‘Sai Buhari’ have made a U-turn and are now losing hope in the ability of the president to save the country.

This could be as a result of fuel scarcity, poor power supply, the fall in the value of the naira, among other issues. Below are reasons why President Buhari is currently losing his popularity among Nigerians.

1. His frequent foreign trips: Buhari has traveled to more than 20 countries since he was sworn in and he has been given the name ‘Wakawaka Buhari’. Some called him the ‘Junketer-In-Chief’.

2. Persistent fuel scarcity: The people have been complaining about the difficulty in getting petrol. Black marketers are taking advantage of the non-availability of the product and the long queues at the petrol stations to sell at exorbitant prices.

3. Poor power supply: The electricity generation profile in the country has continued to drop, and the Nigerians are not happy about it.

4. Continuous decline in the nation’s economy: The exchange rate of the naira against the US dollar has been unstable. This has affected the price of consumer goods, plunging the people into more hardship.

5. Buhari’s double speak: When he visited Saudi Arabia, the president told the Saudi King that Nigeria would not be a part of the Islamic Coalition against terrorism, only to turn around and say the country is a member during an interview conducted in Qatar with Al-Jazeera.

6. Forex issue for Nigerian students studying abroad: Buhari said foreign exchange will not be made available for students studying abroad, and those who cannot afford it should come and continue their education in Nigeria. Reminded that his own children are studying abroad, the president said it was because he could afford it.

7. Alleged abuse of the rule of law: The president has been accused of flouting court orders, especially in the cases of the former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Biafra.

8. War against corruption: There have been allegations that the president was witch hunting the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, as only opposition figures are being hounded for corruption or corrupt practices.

9. Denial of campaign promises: Many unemployed citizens were looking forward to N5,000 monthly stipends promised them by the APC and President Buhari. But the president described the N5,000 stipend as largesse which was not on his priority list.

10. The blame game: The ruling party has continued to blame the former president Goodluck Jonathan for every misfortune.


Naij