by Oche Joseph Otorkpa

Overall the administration has recorded some highs and some lows nevertheless for the country to achieve any meaningful development we must rise above sectarian divisions….

During the presentation of his mid-term report on wednesday May 29th 2013 the President Challenged citizen’s to come up with a marking scheme and score his Administration, I did and here are his scores and why

Aviation 95 per cent: (Rehabilitation and modernisation of terminals ,New international and cargo Airports, improved services ,waivers and reduction in the operations of touts)

Rail Transport 80 per cent (Rehabilitation of rail lines,resumption of the Lagos – Kano service after 15 years , new coaches and improved services at upgraded of stations etc).

Water Transport 65 per cent (completion and commissioning of some inland ports, completion of the dredging of the river Niger, progress has been Slow in these sector).

Roads 65 per cent (Improved road network, less potholes on highways, second Niger bridge , SURE P intervention on East West Road, Benin-Ore etc, but Lagos- Ibadan??)

Agriculture 80 per cent (rice,and cassava revolution, increased dry season farming,introduction of a more transparent fertiliser distribution scheme, and the intervention of BOI In critical areas )

Power 39 per cent (Although good progress has been me made in the privatisation of GENCOS and DISCOS, low harvest of generated power,persistent outages ,load shedding,failure to meet prepaid meter targets, outrageous bills, nonchalant attitude of PHCN to customer needs , un-maintained and overloaded transformers,have continued to plague Nigerians).

Security 50 per cent (The declaration of the State Of emergency is commendable,so also is the lunching of the code of conduct for the police as well as the rehabilitation of police Academy. However,most police officers still live in temporary shelters attached to barracks while kidnapping for ransom and other forms violent crimes is on the rise).

Foreign Investment 80 per cent (His administration takes credit for Nigeria’s emergence as the top investment destination in Africa despite security challenges,however the monitoring of illegal external out-flows needs Improvement).

Ports operations 50 per cent (48 hours cargo clearance target is still a dream ,Corrupt customs officers continue to harass innocent road users on transit. Nevertheless, progress has been made in reforming the ports and streamlining operations with the reduction of government agencies to 7).

Healthcare 75 per cent (Less labour acrimony in the sector, improved service delivery especially in Maternal and Child Health, COMESS, CONTIS, strengthening of NHIS among others).

Labour 75 per cent (Improved minimum wage , pensions payments, centralised payroll systems among others however,the shabby recruitment schemes by government Agencies, job buying still and slow service delivery is still a challenge).

Petroleum sector 60 per cent (Increasing the refining capacity to 10.2 million litres daily, stability in petrol price and supply,cleansing of the subsidy scheme and increased private sector investment in this sector is a welcome development, but oil bunkering with it’s attendant environmental challenges is still a source of worry).

Economic growth and stability 70 per cent ( The growth in the economy placing Nigeria as one of the fastest growing Economy in the world with Over $50 billion in External reserves, (Real) strong bank courtesy of CBN reforms, is a step in the right direction. However the living standard of Nigerians is yet to improve significantly).

Corruption 49 per cent (Here again improvement is greatly needed, there have been less high profile convictions from 2011 to date, the state pardon of ”Alams” dampened the spirit of the anti corruption crusade despite various successes recorded by both the EFCC and ICPC in the two years under review).

Education 85 per cent (The establishment of Federal universities in all states without one , the introduction of the Almajiri school system, the almost seamless flow and stability in universities ,Graduate and PG scholarship Schemes, unity schools rehabilitation among others set the administration apart ,however mass failure in WAEC and NECO remains a headache).

Press Freedom 95 per cent (Excellent working climate even though abused by some remains the hallmark of his Administration despite little frictions here and there).

Electoral reforms 91 per cent (Great improvement in the electoral processes, as compared to previous governments, the SIEC ‘s needs to take a cue).

Housing 50 per cent ( High cost of mortgage still persists, FMBN and other agencies need to speed up constructions in states where housing projects are on going, progress in this sector has been slow and not steady).

International Relations 70 per cent ( Interventions in UN, AU, ECOWAS backed missions as well insistence on the proper treatment of Nigerians by other countries especially South Africa including the recent release of Nigerians jailed in Equatorial Guinea painted the administration in good light, yet the crisis and activities in some embassies and foreign missions abroad dampened the efforts to give Nigeria a new name.

Overall the administration has recorded some highs and some lows nevertheless for the country to achieve any meaningful development we must rise above sectarian divisions, promote objectivity and patriotism and in the end Nigeria will be a better place for us and our children.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.