Aisha Buhari: Why I Criticise My Husband’s Government

Nigerian First Lady, Aisha Buhari, says her passion for good
governance is the reason she sometimes criticizes the Buhari
administration.

Her actions, according to her, are not meant to disrespect or
publicly criticize him.

Aisha had stunned Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike in October
2016 when she said on the Hausa Service of the BBC that she was not
sure of supporting a second term bid of her husband except there
was a shake-up in government.

She claimed that the president did not know most of the
government officials he had appointed and that many had been
nominated due to the influence of a few people.

“The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the
people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his
wife of 27 years,” she said.

Three years later, after Buhari had been elected for a second
term, the First Lady said those he called bad people had taken over
the government.

But in her biography ‘Aisha Buhari: Being different,’ which was
launched in Abuja on Thursday, the author, Daji Sani, says Aisha
does not stand to ‘criticize her husband publicly.

“In many villages in northern Nigeria, educating a girl is not
considered a priority. In fact, early marriage affects every eighth
girl. According to UNICEF, one in seven girls is reported to give
birth by age seventeen. The easiest justification for this practice
is that it serves as a strategy for reducing the burden on the
family.

“It is also viewed as a way of protecting the sanctity of the
girl-child. Another report shows that child marriage occurs more
frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest, and
who are living in rural areas.

The above scenario was the kind of social-cultural background
that Aisha was born into and raised. Married at an early age, for
her, the future seemed unsure.

“But the hope in her mind is massive. Interestingly, fate shone
on her with the splendor of an enlightened gentleman. She married
the kind of man any woman would want to associate herself with, a
highly placed and responsible man. Even though this automatically
placed her on the path of greatness, her family values have been
the key influence in her life to this day.

“In 1989, the young lady, Aisha Halilu, got married to Muhammadu
Buhari, a retired Major-General and former Military Head of State
of Nigeria. Marriage as an institution moves at an undulating pace,
full of uncertainties. The ability to surmount the challenges and
move on to an unknown destination is crucial in marriage. Aisha,
like any other girl-child married as a teenager, faced the
challenges of adapting to womanhood.”

Nigerian First Lady, Aisha Buhari, says her passion for good
governance is the reason she sometimes criticizes the Buhari
administration.

Her actions, according to her, are not meant to disrespect or
publicly criticize him.

Aisha had stunned Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike in October
2016 when she said on the Hausa Service of the BBC that she was not
sure of supporting a second term bid of her husband except there
was a shake-up in government.

She claimed that the president did not know most of the
government officials he had appointed and that many had been
nominated due to the influence of a few people.

“The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the
people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his
wife of 27 years,” she said.

Three years later, after Buhari had been elected for a second
term, the First Lady said those he called bad people had taken over
the government.

But in her biography ‘Aisha Buhari: Being different,’ which was
launched in Abuja on Thursday, the author, Daji Sani, says Aisha
does not stand to ‘criticize her husband publicly.

“In many villages in northern Nigeria, educating a girl is not
considered a priority. In fact, early marriage affects every eighth
girl. According to UNICEF, one in seven girls is reported to give
birth by age seventeen. The easiest justification for this practice
is that it serves as a strategy for reducing the burden on the
family.

“It is also viewed as a way of protecting the sanctity of the
girl-child. Another report shows that child marriage occurs more
frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest, and
who are living in rural areas.

The above scenario was the kind of social-cultural background
that Aisha was born into and raised. Married at an early age, for
her, the future seemed unsure.

“But the hope in her mind is massive. Interestingly, fate shone
on her with the splendor of an enlightened gentleman. She married
the kind of man any woman would want to associate herself with, a
highly placed and responsible man. Even though this automatically
placed her on the path of greatness, her family values have been
the key influence in her life to this day.

“In 1989, the young lady, Aisha Halilu, got married to Muhammadu
Buhari, a retired Major-General and former Military Head of State
of Nigeria. Marriage as an institution moves at an undulating pace,
full of uncertainties. The ability to surmount the challenges and
move on to an unknown destination is crucial in marriage. Aisha,
like any other girl-child married as a teenager, faced the
challenges of adapting to womanhood.”