As President Bola Tinubu approaches the completion of his first year in office, various commentators have offered their perspectives on his administration's performance.

Dr. Usman Bugaje, a member of the House of Representatives and an elder statesman, shared his critical viewpoint during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today. He characterized the past year as lacking in problem-solving achievements.

Discussing President Tinubu's decision to forgo a formal celebration for his first year in office, Bugaje interpreted this as an acknowledgment of the public's discontent.

“Well, as Citizens and as people who have been in government, clearly the last one year has been a tragedy, simple. There is not one problem they have been able to solve, so I cannot see any other than low-key.

“I mean, I give them the sense that they are feeling the pressure, they can see the faces of Nigerians and so perhaps they trying to see how can they assuage this anger because the people are angry.

“Since this Administration came one year ago, I’ve not seen one problem that they have solved. If anything, the policies they started with have created far more problems than they found, and in this one year, they are clearly groping in the dark without very clear [direction],” Bugaje suggested.

He further commented on the administration's policies, suggesting they have not effectively addressed existing challenges and may have compounded them.

Bugaje advocated for a collaborative approach to governance, encouraging the federal government to seek expertise beyond political lines to address the nation's issues.

He emphasized the importance of establishing clear metrics for evaluating governmental performance, particularly in areas such as agriculture and security.

“This is the time really to admit and to then seek help from those who know, and Nigeria is full of people with the experience with the expertise, they may not be in your party, they may not even be in politics, but this is the way many countries have been able to get out of the problem they have found themselves.

“We as a nation should have by now developed metrics for evaluating governance. In the academic cycle, there are, and there are statistics. Every government should have come up with a baseline. After one year, they will be able to say scientifically this is the production in terms of Agriculture, what we found in 2023, and this last season we have improved by a number of metric tons. In the field of security, these are the figures we would have improved.”

Reflecting on a recent security incident in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bugaje expressed concern over the deteriorating safety conditions and questioned the government's capacity to protect its citizens.

In light of the recent events, Bugaje calls for more than rhetoric and seeks tangible solutions to the pressing issues facing the nation.