The absence of First Lady, Aisha Buhari from public scenes has continued to elicit concerns among Nigerians, many of those who perceive her as beacon of hope and voice for the masses in the present administration.
Aisha has been out of the spotlight for weeks, conspicuously absent in several events she ought to have attended. She was known to have jetted out of Nigeria for Hajj in August and she has not come back since then. Since the completion of the hajj, Hajiya Buhari has not returned to the country. This has fuelled concerns that she left Nigeria in protest against certain developments in the seat of power as she was not around at the swearing-in of new ministers.
The last time she was seen in public was at a dinner on Sunday June 16 in Aso Rock to celebrate the female participants of the Democracy Day parade. Since then, most of her public functions were performed by her surrogate, Dr Hajo Sani, her Senior Special Assistant.
At the inauguration of Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande as the President of the 74th UN General Assembly, Hajo Sani came with a presentation from the First Lady. Hajo Sani also attended a reception for Bande.
Hajo Sani also represented Aisha at the UN High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at the UN Headquarters, New York on Sunday, 22 September. And she held forte too as the Global Empowerment Movement held the Blessings of Africa Iconic Champion of Change Award on 24 September.
Nigeria’s First Lady was equally absent at The Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) meeting in New York, a body she inspired into existence.
Given her opposition to some of the policies in President Buhari’s government, it was rumoured that the First Lady had moved out of the villa after Abba Kyari was appointed as Chief of Staff.
However, the Presidency in a statement urged Nigerians to disregard the rumour saying Aisha’s absence from the country for about two months was not due to infighting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to her spokesman, Suleiman Haruna, the president’s wife has the freedom to travel to wherever she wanted.
Haruna told newsmen after the case of the first lady’s absence from the country was raised that “It’s a free world and people have been speculating about everything in this country and it is allowed.
“She is a free Nigerian and does not work for the government. So, if she decides to stay somewhere in her village for two months or to go somewhere and stay for two months, why should it become a national issue?
“She is a free Nigerian and has absolute freedom to move round for however long she wants. I am in shock when I hear all these things. I don’t believe in all these rumours about the president’s wife because they are not true.
“That is why, most times, the office does not bother to react to these speculations,” Haruna said.
Apparently in a bid to allay the fears of Nigerians that all is well, the First Lady in an Independence broadcast last week felicitated with Nigerians on the occasion of the country’s 59th Independence anniversary. However, she was silent on her whereabout.
In the brief message, she called on privileged Nigerians to do more to improve the lives of women and children in society.
She said, “On the occasion of the 59th independence anniversary of our dear nation, I wish to restate my resolve to touch more lives through the Aisha Buhari Foundation and Future Assured Programs.
“I, however, continue my call on privileged Nigerians, the private sector and non-governmental organisations to do more in the areas of education, health, empowerment and protection of women and children. It is my earnest belief that the future is bright. Happy Independence Day, Nigeria.”
Aisha won the admiration of Nigerians in 2016 during an interview with the Hausa Service of British Broadcasting Service (BBC) where alleged that her husband was being controlled by a cabal, saying he had no hands in the appointment of most of his ministers.
“The President does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years. Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position,” she alleged.
Apparently angered by the development, she threatened not to campaign for him if things continued that way. However, when asked by journalists to comment on the matter in Germany during a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Buhari countered by saying his wife “Belong in the kitchen and also in the other room.”
In June this year, she asserted her authority by announcing the change of the title of her office from Wife of the President to First Lady. Throughout her husband’s first tenure, her title was Wife of the President. Earlier, Aisha had raised the alarm over the deteriorating security situation in the country.
During a visit to the home state of the president, Aisha, who hails from Adamawa State, said it would be unfortunate for people who voted wholeheartedly for her husband to be allowed to be killed unnecessarily by bandits.
She said people must speak out as the killings were worrisome and that if not tackled they could end up consuming everyone. “When the Katsina SSG spoke out, I sent it to all security outfits in the country. I told them it’s either they go and help out or allow us all to be killed. It is a must for people to come out and speak.
Anything that is not right, people should say it, no matter what,” she said. Four days to the swearing in of her husband for a second, the first lady faulted the implementation of the federal government’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP). At an interactive program for women at the State House, Abuja, she said the program which had gulped N470.8bn, had failed in the North. The SIPs are the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfers, National Home-Grown School Feeding and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes (GEEP).
Annually, the federal government budgets N500bn for social investment. However, in 2016, only N79.98bn was released, 2017 N140bn and in 2018, N250.4bn was released. Previously, she had attacked her husband’s administration. (Daily independent)
