September 6, 2023, President Bola Tinubu marked his 100 days in office as Nigeria’s President.
As customary with the celebration of 100 days in office by many political office holders in Nigeria, the media team and supporters of the President listed his achievements in his first 100 days in office, describing him as a caring father.
While his supporters and some political analysts believe Tinubu has been on track in his first 100 days in office, some critics and opposition party members share a contrary opinion.
Besides, most social media comments on some of the key policies he took during his first 60 days in office were negative, as shown in Dataphyte’s sentiment analysis of his first 60 days in office.
Regardless how these policies were/are viewed, President Tinubu has marked his first 100 days in office.
However, this celebration of 100 days in office was not only done in Aso Villa.
Elsewhere in Daura, another celebration was held — former President Muhammadu Buhari’s 100 days away from office.
In a statement published on X platform (formerly Twitter) by Garba Shehu, the spokesperson of former President Buhari, (the first of its kind where a former president is celebrating his 100 days away from office), Garba Shehu listed the “laudable achievements” of his principal while he was in office.
While both predecessor and successor marked their 100 days out and in the number one office in Nigeria, highlighting what they considered their laudable achievements, it appears that none of them has met the true needs of Nigerians.
“What shall it profit the president(s) of Nigeria if they “provide” all they think is right but ignore the VERY NEEDS of the citizens?” was the big question that came to mind as we read through the different achievements listed as Tinubu’s first 100 days in office and Buhari’s 100 days away from office.
According to a report by the Open Society Foundations, whose findings are based on a survey of 30 countries, including Nigeria, what Nigerians really want is respect for human rights and true democracy.
All that Tinubu or Buhari listed as their most significant achievements are meaningless to Nigerians if they are still treated as sub-citizens.
Surprised?
No, this is exactly what Nigerians truly want and reflects the values they believe in.
Out of 30 countries surveyed, including the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), and Turkey, 86% of Nigerians believe that human rights reflect the values they believe in.
Put differently, Nigeria values human rights more than any country in the world.
The share of Nigerians who believe this is above the global average of 71% and far above Americans and the British, 73% and 65%, respectively.
These rights include civil and political, economic and social, environmental rights, and digital rights.
More Nigerians (45%) consider economic and social rights as the most important to them and their communities. Economic rights include rights such as rights to food, education, health, housing, etc.
This is followed by civil and political rights. The percentage of people who viewed environmental and digital rights as important was 14% and 7%, respectively. Digital rights here refer to the right to communicate online and have control over one’s personal data.
Still on human rights, a large share of Nigerians strongly believe that human rights have been a good force in the world. That is, more Nigerians than Americans, Germans, Ghanaians, and others believe that the concept and practice of human rights have had a positive and beneficial impact on the global community.
Bangladesh, with 86%, is the only country above Nigeria that believes that human rights have been a good force in the world.
On democracy, like the majority of the countries surveyed, many Nigerians favoured and preferred a democratic system of government over an authoritarian government.
Despite the challenges, democracy remains a preferred form of government in many countries, including Nigeria, data shows.
Globally, majority of people support democracy and believe that it is better than authoritarianism at delivering what citizens want.
Out of the 30 countries surveyed, Nigeria ranked 9th, choosing democracy as a preferred form of government with 69% above the global average of 62%.
Interestingly, Nigeria topped countries like the USA, France, the UK, and Ghana as preferring democracy to any form of government.