Opinion poll: Nigerians pass vote of confidence on Buhari

 

Nigerians have passed a vote of confidence on the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, saying the country is moving in the right direction.

They, however, lamented that the improvement has not impacted positively in their personal economy.

A public opinion poll conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI), an arm of the United States Agency for International Development, revealed that Nigeria is still polarized along regional lines.

However, while majority of people from the Southeast believed that the economy has not done well, those in the northeast said the economy is doing well and heading in the right direction.

The survey said 54 percent of Nigerians believed that the Buhari government is moving in the right direction, compared to 36 percent in 2011, while 37 percent believed that the country is moving in the wrong direction.

Presenting the report of the survey to journalists in Abuja, IRI regional Director for Africa, John Tomaszewski, said despite the believe that the country is moving in the right direction, 57 percent of Nigerians said the improvement  has not trickled down to their personal economy which they said is getting worse.

He said many Nigerians believed that efforts of the government is beginning to yield dividend, adding that many are of the opinion that democracy is more important than prosperity with 59 percent of respondents voting in favour of democracy, while 46 percent argued that the nation’s democracy is changing for the better.

“At least 21 percent said the nation’s democracy was changing for the worse,” he added.