The former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has rated the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government below average.
Speaking to newsmen in Gombe, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Islamic Vacation Course (IVC), Shekarau noted that the performance was below average because of the failure to fulfil most of their campaign promises.
He said: “The assessment of the APC government is very obvious on the table. As a teacher, the best way to assess an individual is to assess him on the scheme of his work, on his own promises. If you say you will cover a scheme of work A to D in a given year, then I will assess you on that.
“The government has made a number of promises, particularly Mr. President himself and we have not seen things on the ground. There is hardly any concrete thing on the ground that you can see.
“He promised youth and women empowerment, for two years now, we have not seen any of the empowerment. He promised N5000 to 25,000 youth that also is yet to come. He promised a sustained power supply, but it has not come. He promised a reform in the petroleum subsidy vis-a-vis price reduction, of course that has not been realised.”
Shekarau said it was wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to keep blaming the previous governments for his shortcomings.
“With all sense of modesty, I was a presidential aspirant in 2011, before I went to contest, I studied the government on the ground. Therefore, I expect the APC government to study the policies of the government they were challenging; what were their programmes, so that when they come, they should know what the issues are and how to address them.
“I was surprised to even hear, if it was true, that the president said he doesn’t know the depth of the problem, if he really said that, that is the beginning and end of the failure of the administration. Because before his contest, he should know the depth and context of the problem and challenges of every sector.
“As far as, I am concern, as a teacher, I will say the government performance is below average,” Shekarau said.
On the clearing of the dreaded Sambisa Forest by the Nigerian Armed Forces, Malam Shekarau, who is a former minister of education, said it was too early for celebration since the federal government had claimed victory over the insurgents many times which always turned out to be untrue.
“When the president came, he said he would clear the Boko Haram by December 2015. We are now in December 2016 and the Boko Haram is still very much alive. I wish it is true they cleared Boko Haram out of Sambisa Forest and we will clap for the president and the government. It is our prayer and the prayer of every responsible citizen to see an end to the Boko Haram.
