Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday scored President Muhammadu Buhari a pass mark (a D or E) in his first year in office.

Speaking in Abuja at the launch of a book titled “We Are All Biafrans’’ written by Chido Onumah, he said Buhari “promised to look into issues like power, insurgency, unemployment, corruption and diversification and if you are to take two out of five, you can give him a pass mark. He has dealt with corruption and with Boko Haram. For power, give him time.”

Atiku also advised that the Niger Delta problem “should be handled with a stick and carrot approach. In 2007, before I ran for president, I met with various stakeholders on the Niger Delta issue and they came up with a policy.”

“Part of the recommendations was that the ministry be moved to the Niger Delta and not Abuja. We have had administrations that did not do their homework on the Niger Delta.”

“If I had won, I would have sold 10 per cent shares in the NNPC; that will give me 20 billion dollars which would build infrastructure for the Niger delta but we will always end up with accidental leadership.”

“Bring peace and development to the Niger Delta then they will stop blowing up pipelines. Then, we will get gas and then power can be stable but until then, we will not get it.”

Atiku recommended “a smaller, leaner Federal Government with reduced responsibilities.”

“This means devolution of powers and resources to states and local governments. State and local governments should control education, health, agriculture, roads and other infrastructure.”

“A true federal system will allow the federating states to keep their resources while the Federal Government retains the power of taxation and regulatory authority over standards.”

“The result will be a political and governmental system that empowers local authorities and gives them greater autonomy to address peculiar local issues, while enhancing accountability and contributing to the general good of the country.”

“Such a robust federal system will reduce the tensions that are built into our current over-centralized system.”