By The Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, Abuja, today releases summary of its report titled Buharimeter Citizens’ Scorecard on the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), and the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, on the three broad campaign promises (Corruption, Economy and Security) in the first two years in office.
The report is a product of a National Survey on Buharimeter, which was carried out in all states and senatorial districts (both rural and urban) in Nigeria. In each of the 109 senatorial districts, a Local Government Area (LGA) which represents headquarter of the senatorial district was selected for interview. As a result, three (3) LGAs were sampled per State, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A total of 4,097 face-to-face interviews were completed in 111 LGAs nationwide.
On a general note, the report reveals that fifty-seven per cent of sampled population approve of the job performance of PMB.
However, there are clear regional differences observed in the President’s approval rating. While the North-West (85 per cent) and North-East (66 per cent) regions constitute the majority of those who approve of his job performance, respondents from the South-East (72 per cent) and South-South (60 per cent) regions make up those who do not approve his performance.
On the fight against corruption, 52 per cent of Nigerians expressed satisfaction with the performance of the government regarding the fight against corruption, while 47 per cent expressed dissatisfaction. Similarly, over 4 in 10 respondents are of the opinion that corruption has decreased with the current administration in comparison to the past administration.
On the other hand, 3 in 10 respondents say corruption has increased. 47 per cent of Nigerians say they are aware of the Government’s whistle blowing policy; and of this proportion, 76 per cent believe it is a good measure that encourages the reporting of corrupt practices.
Almost 4 in 10 Nigerians (39 per cent) rate the current government’s performance on the economy as Poor, particularly amongst South-East (82 per cent) and South-South (59 per cent) respondents. This was followed by 35 per cent of respondents who rate the economy as Fair.
Furthermore, about 46 per cent of Nigerians consider the government’s approach at tackling the economic recession in the country as somewhat “Effective”. On the contrary, 39 per cent consider the government’s approach as “Not Effective At All”, particularly amongst respondents in the South-East (71%).
Also, when asked to rate the President’s reform efforts on various sectors, significant proportions of Nigerians expressed some level of satisfaction with the “Security reform” with 54 per cent effectiveness; perhaps due to the relative success achieved in tackling the boko haram insurgency. However, the “Economic reform (67 per cent), Housing reform (62 per cent) and Transport reform (62 per cent)” have been considered NOT effective.
On promises relating to security, half of sampled population believe that the state of security in the country has improved compared to a year ago. However, 28 per cent say the security situation has remained the same, while 21 per cent say it has worsened. However, further analysis reveals that politically motivated conflicts (28 per cent), land ownership disputes (24 per cent), religious conflicts (23 per cent) and farmer & pastoralist conflicts (22 per cent) are among among St common causes of conflicts across Nigerian communities.
About 55 per cent of Nigerians believe the Government is doing enough to ensure that the Chibok girls are rescued and reunited with their families, particularly amongst respondents in the North-West region (73 per cent). On the contrary, 35 per cent do not believe government is doing enough. On what measures should be taken to address the issues of Boko Haram insurgency, herdsmen conflict and militancy, Nigerians have suggested a mix of “Dialogue (37 per cent)” and “Use of force (34 per cent)”. About the plans for the creation of state police, roughly 6 in 10 Nigerians (61 per cent) support the creation of State Police in Nigeria. On the other hand, almost 4 in 10 (39 per cent) Nigerians do not support it.
The survey was conducted between April 3rd and 22nd, 2017 in collaboration with NOIPolls.
The respondents are between the age of 18 and older, and belonging to different social class, literacy and income levels. Post-stratification weights for the gender and senatorial district variables were constructed and applied to the data to make it more representative of the population, allow for more accurate population totals of estimates and reduce non-response bias.
The weights assigned were in proportion to the 2006 Nigerian population figures.
Buharimeter is supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the Department for International Development (DFID).
