Take a walk through Nigeria’s commercial capital and expectation is heavy in the air. One hundred days after Muhammadu Buhari swept into power, becoming the first president to ever unseat an incumbent here, many citizens say they are seeing some significant improvements.
Rooting out corruption – which was central to the platform of “change” on which Buhari campaigned – is also at the forefront of most people’s minds, and so far the scorecard is high.
Talking to residents of Lagos, BattaBox.com gauged the (divided) opinion on his first days in power.
“Buhari’s body language alone is anti-corruption,” one supporter says. Buhari has yet to appoint a cabinet, saying it will take him time to find ministers who are clean.
But a perceived lethargic approach has caused his critics to nickname him “Baba go-slow”, after local slang for traffic jams. Some feel too much emphasis on the fight against corruption means other vital sectors are being neglected. An insurgency by Boko Haram in the north-east rages on, although even detractors say the new government has taken a far more hands-on approach than the previous government.
Buhari has so far replaced the top military brass as part of a wide-ranging plan to tackle the problem.
Still, even as change inches in, some staunch supporters of Goodluck Jonathan believe any improvement under Buhari is simply the fruit of work his predecessor began.
