President's slow style a huge factor in Nigeria's recession

Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics confirmed what everyone already knew.

Nigeria is officially in a recession with Gross Domestic Product declining by -2.06% in the second quarter of 2016 on a year-on-year basis.

The grim economic numbers stem from a drop in crude oil output no thanks to activities of vandals and the plummeting price of the product in the global market.

The naira has weakened considerably against the dollar and inflation has remained at double digits since the spring.

But there's more to Nigeria's economic woes than poor export and crude oil price. President Muhammadu Buhari dithers and plods on just about every issue. This has sadly become his style of governance since he made a return as a democratic president.

It took President Buhari 7 months to name his ministers and he dithered before deregulating the oil downstream sector and before floating the naira. For an economy in crisis, it took the president well into his 1st year to name his economic adviser.

Sources in the president's inner circle have told Pulse.ng that a few powerful ministers in the cabinet have been grumbling about the president's slow and tepid leadership style.

"Two ministers who hail from the South West region of the country are frustrated with Buhari's slow style," an unnamed Aso Villa source told Pulse.ng.

"They'll tender files marked 'urgent' before the president, but he'll take forever to minute on the files or take action. Once Buhari sees a minister in his office who has come to complain about while a particular file hasn't been treated, the first thing the president says is 'what is it this time? Is it about the weakened naira again?" the source added.

At an event in Washington DC last year, Buhari made it clear he isn't about to ditch his slow leadership style.

Asked when he would form his cabinet, the president made a joke out of being labeled slow.

"They call me Baba Go Slow," Buhari said, "But I am going to go slow and steady," said the president.

A slew of APC faithful spoken to for this story also lamented the president's slow style. "These are abnormal times for our economy”, one APC faithful who craved anonymity for this story, told Pulse.

"The man at the helm of affairs has to be faster with decision making. He likes to take his time. And while that approach could be okay during normal times, the last thing Nigeria needs right now is someone who takes his time before arriving at a decision."