Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, has been subjected to both praise and criticisms since he took over power last year from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. The goodwill Buhari received from majority of Nigerians seems to be waning as the day goes by as reality sets in for both the president and the populace.
A recent rating of the president suggested that his popularity has plummeted to an all time low of 39%. This has been the case since issues like fuel price increase, appointment of mostly northerners, resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta and the violence by Fulani herdsmen became a major feature in the nation’s polity. Even the president’s hard core supporters are beginning to sing a new song and are lamenting on a daily basis. As it was with most Nigerian past leaders, President Buhari is beginning to acquire nicknames from the populace because of his perceived incompetence by majority of them.
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1. Northern President
The president has certainly boosted the rumours of him being a sectional president since he came into power. His appointments tilt in favour of the Northern region where he comes from, justifying the campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which warned Nigerians severally before the 2015 elections that the president is sectional, myopic and lacks the necessary requirements to keep the nation as one. President Buhari has since acquired the nick name ‘Northern President’ mostly from southerners who are uncomfortable with his decisions regarding appointments.
2. Change President The ‘Change’ slogan used by the All Progressives Congress (APC) before and during the 2015 general elections have gone sour. Many wonder if the change being preached at that time was for good or bad. Today, the slogan is being mocked by those opposed to the government and those who are complaining of the president’s inability to address the issues bedeviling the country. Unlike in the past, the term has now been bastardized, used for mockery and now represents everything negative in the polity.
3. Johnny Walker President Buhari’s frequent trips outside the country coincided with a brilliant campaign by Guinness Nigeria Plc re-positioning one of its brands, Johnny Walker. The term became a slogan and indeed a catch-phrase for mostly young Nigerians who started calling the president ‘Johnny Walker’. Photo-shopped pictures of the president’s face replacing the mystery character representing the brand became an internet sensation as social media sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook were buzzing with the pictures. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
4. Baba Go-slow President Buhari’s seemingly consistent delay in making critical decisions earned him this nickname. It took the president all of five months to name his cabinet. To make matters worse, the cabinet was filled with recycled and incompetent politicians even after the president claimed he was searching for the best hands in the country. The failure of the president to address constant violence around the country, the delay of the 2016 budget and the last minute cancellations of presidential movements seem to justify the decision of those who call the president the name.
5. Daura Dullard Nigerians have a way of tying back their president’s shortcomings to his hometown or his residence. From the constant reference to Babaingida’s hilltop mansion to Obasanjo’s Ota farm and later Jonathan’s Otuoke, it has become a norm for Nigerians to use their president’s abode or hometown to play with words. Daura in Katsina state is where President Buhari comes for, the president’s hometown has now been used to create rather unpalatable nicknames for him like Daura Dullard, Daura Dollar and Dollardinho, with the last two referring to the crisis the Nigerian naira faced during its free fall against the U.S dollar.
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