Nigerian President Buhari's Approval Drops in Second Year.
Byline: Michael Smith and Jay Loschky
Synopsis: Nigerians' approval of President Muhammadu Buhari has dropped in 2016 as perceptions of the economy and corruption remain poor. Still, Nigerians see improvement in the fight against terrorism.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Support for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is declining more than a year after he became the first opposition presidential candidate in Nigerian history to defeat an incumbent. Buhari's approval rating now stands at 44%, down from 67% in June 2015, measured one month after he took office.
Both Nigerians and the international community had high hopes when Buhari became president in May 2015. Buhari replaced Goodluck Jonathan, an unpopular president whose efforts to combat Boko Haram many regarded as feckless and whose administration organizations and public figures alike routinely panned as corrupt. Dogged by those issues, Jonathan's approval ratings were consistently low in his last few years in office. Buhari took office promising to advance the country's fight against corruption and terrorism, but his management of the economy might ultimately determine the success or failure of his presidency.
Buhari's approval ratings have dropped in tandem with Nigerians' outlook on the economy, as a record-high 57% now rate economic conditions in the country as poor. Falling crude prices, sabotage to the oil industry in the Niger Delta and, according to some, the current administration's policies have damaged Nigeria's oil-dependent economy -- which is now officially in a recession. Nigerians have particularly felt the effects of surging prices caused by inflation and the controversial cut of popular fuel subsidies in 2015.
Although Buhari has a reputation for tackling corruption, nearly as many Nigerians (85%) see corruption in government as widespread in 2016 as in past years. Though recent anti-corruption initiatives have succeeded in removing nearly 24,000 fake employees from the government payroll and several high-profile corruption trials have captured headlines, Buhari has received criticism for not pursuing corruption cases among members of his own party.
While opinions about the economy have worsened and perceptions of corruption have not markedly improved under Buhari, Nigerians view the fight against terrorism more positively. Roughly six in 10 Nigerians (61%) say their government is doing enough to combat terrorism in 2016; this figure is steady from 2015 but is a...
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