By Emma Amaize, Samuel Oyadongha, Simon Ebegbulem, Jimitota Onoyume, Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi, Emmanuel Una, Ike Uchechukwu, Chioma Onuegbu, Emma Ayungbe, Davies Iheamnachor, Emem Idio, Perez Brisibe & Ochuko Akuopha

PROMINENT personalities of the South-South geo-political zone were at odds, weekend, in their assessment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s first two years in office, with some commending his anti-corruption fight, while others knocked him for epitomizing bad governance.

Edo State

In Edo State, former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Rowland Owie and former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen. Idada Ikponmwen (retd),  set the ball rolling with their reactions. Owie said that the All Progressives Congress, APC-led government has failed due to what he described as the ingratitude the party had shown its members who worked for its emergence, but Ikponmwen commended the Buhari administration for its war against corruption.

“There is no government at the national level.  APC has failed the country. How do you become ungrateful to your own party people and to Nigerians? If you see 10 APC members, eight are complaining. The APC government is like an independent government and it is hurting party members and the people. The Federal Government is operating like a partyless government and that is why it is derailing,” Senator Owie, South-South Coordinator of the Action Democratic Party, ADP, said.

Ikponmwen, on his part, expressed a contrary view, saying: “I believe Buhari’s regime has introduced one very serious factor, which is the fight against corruption, such that the history of impunity in Nigeria is never going to be the same again despite the fact that people have said the fight has been selective. He has embarked on anti-corruption war in a manner nobody has ever done. I think Nigerians should be proud that President Buhari came into power.

“He may not be too healthy, and that may be slowing down some policies, but on the whole, he is tackling corruption properly and when we get that right, Nigeria will be better for it.”

Muhammadu Buhari

Akwa Ibom State

In Akwa Ibom State, the views were more along party lines.  Senator Aniete Okon of the PDP was quick to blame the Buhari administration for crippling the Nigerian economy, saying: “The indices from whichever sector you look at it, show zero performance. Nothing to write home about, despite  all the noise that they have been making. We have not earned one cent, one dollar, not even one kobo, after so much noise about agriculture.

“The economy is going from bad to worse while industrial production has gone down to zero. Unemployment is on the rise and there is clearly no articulated economic plan that one will say you can see some light at the end of the dark tunnel.”

Disagreeing, a chieftain of APC, Chief Edet Mkpubre, commended President Buhari for coming in with policies to salvage Nigeria from total collapse, saying: “If what has happened to the Nigerian economy this period had happened with the unchecked corruption going on in the previous administration, we would have been on the streets with cups in our hands begging. So Buhari has done well.”

Delta State

A leading PDP politician in Delta, Chief Ighoyota Amori, said:  “Buhari‘s two years in office is enveloped with mixed feelings. It is filled with the good, the bad and the ugly. Good, because by my sincere assessment of Buhari’s body language, he is genuine in his intention for the country, particularly his anti-corruption drives. Bad, because the economy is still a disaster and impact of the government is still not felt by majority of the people, particularly the ordinary man. Ugly because his anti-corruption drive is highly selective and targeted at PDP members and perceived political enemies (even from the APC). This is regrettable. This government cannot even score an average mark.”

Also speaking, an APC chieftain in Delta State, Chief Emmanuel Ogwuda, said: “My assessment will be based on three points, firstly, corruption. My President has done well on the drive to sustain the fight against corruption.

“Secondly, fiscal policy: The thrust of the President’s fiscal policy has shown clear direction and discipline.    And thirdly, physical development. Improved activities in the construction industry are remarkable. Based on these parameters I will score Mr. President high.”

In his reaction, former Delta State governorship aspirant on the PDP platform, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, said:  “Evidently, so far, the Buhari administration has been a disappointment. Security wise, the Boko Haram insurgence became worse and a new birth of another insurgence, the herdsmen attack, is beginning to wax stronger. The anti-corruption chase has become a wild goose chase with no person being convicted or jailed and no evidence of money returned and the public in the know of how the money was recovered or put to use in the system.”

Chairman of Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the state,  Oke Idawene, noted: “On the state of the nation’s economically, APC was given the largest economy in Africa, today, it has been crumbled. Security wise, kidnapping, killings, Fulani herdsmen menace are on the increase under the Buhari administration. The fight against corruption is a fallacy because what we are seeing is political witch hunting.”

In Bayelsa State, prominent environmental, Mr. Joseph Ambakederemo, hailed the two years of Buhari dogged fight against corruption.

However, another Niger Delta activist, Osom Makbere, slammed  the administration, saying  “The truth is that the APC government led by Buhari is presently the least profile in governance on the planet, and there is patent comatose in virtually all sectors, the lack of people revolt notwithstanding. The single activity it characterizes under the ‘anti-corruption’ crusade endorses Buhari’s crude attachment to the military-style leadership much akin to the fabled ‘correction’ mission of junta governments.

“Governments come with programmes with which they etch their ideologies on the pages of political history, any government coming with the pretensions of puritanism and holier than thou precepts clearly tends towards vendetta, and that is the single popular thing the Buhari government is pre-occupied with,” he added.