BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR
LAGOS – IF the current survey of NOI Polls is anything to go by, then President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State would have no problems retaining their seats at the April polls.

According to the survey, 65 per cent of eligible voters in Lagos State indicated intentions to vote for Fashola while at the federal level, 53 per cent of pollsters think that Jonathan would win the presidential polls.

Among others, the poll indicated that most Nigerians -71 per cent- agree that the people of Niger Delta were suffering and want derivation increased from 13 per cent to 16 per cent. It also showed that only 38 per cent of Nigerians own bank accounts; 70 per cent of Nigerians own mobile phones; the Police -75 per cent and Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria, PHCN-58 per cent, were the most corrupt government agencies; and most Nigerians want government to focus attention on electricity-19 per cent; job creation – 12 per cent; education-10 per cent and tackling corruption-10 per cent in the next 12 months.

Conducted in partnership with Gallup Polls of the United States of America, the surveys were in three parts. The Lagos State Governorship opinion poll conducted between February 7 -22 and Presidential survey, February 11 – 28, were sponsored by ANAP Foundation, a non-profit making organisation, while the third is NOI -Gallup Polls’ Fourth National poll carried out in November 2011 but released yesterday in Lagos.

ANAP President/Founder, Mr. Atedo Peterside, who unveiled the governorship and presidential survey, said while 41 per cent of those sampled was aware that Dr. Ade Dosunmu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was running for Lagos governorship, 98 per cent was aware that Fashola was running. For all other candidates, less than 10 per cent of Lagos residents knew that they were running.

And while 86 per cent of Lagos residents approve of Fashola’s performance as governor only 64 per cent think he would win the polls.

At the federal level, Peterside said Nigerians’ awareness of the aspiration of the candidates are as follows: Jonathan, 93 per cent; Muhammadu Buhari, 73 per cent; Nuhu Ribadu, 48 per cent; Ibrahim Shekarau, 46 per cent and for all other candidates, 20 per cent.

However, while 68 per cent of the respondents approve of Jonathan’s performance as president, only 53 per cent think that he would win the polls.

In the third survey in which 1,500 respondents were sampled across the six geo-political zones of the country, Dr. Robert Tortora, Chief Methodologist of GALLUP Polls, put the approval rating of Jonathan at 79 per cent even though 60per cent Nigerians were not satisfied with the government’s handling of the economy.

In terms of security, the poll showed that 73 per cent of the respondents had confidence in the ability of the military to hand security issues while only 28 per cent had confidence in the police.

Other highlights of the survey include Nigerians’ opposition to more tax and prevalent corruption in the polity. Aside the Police and PHCN, other government agencies were corruption is rampant are Nigerian Immigration Service -37%; Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, 35 %; Federal Inland Revenue Service – 33%  and Corporate Affairs Commission- 25%

Consequently, it was not surprising that most Nigerians are opposed to additional taxation of which 55% said their taxes were spent on areas outside infrastructure and services. About 91 % said claim they pay their taxes, 66% said no to car taxes for pollution and climate change and 73 % distanced itself from homeowners’ tax.