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Tag: Aisha Buhari

  • Questions for Aisha Buhari – By Promise Adiele

    Questions for Aisha Buhari – By Promise Adiele

    By Promise Adiele

    Titubi’s character in Femi Osofisan’s Morountodun attracts different interpretations from many people across the world. The ebullient daughter of the wealthy Alhaja Kabirat, leader of the market women, commits class suicide by repudiating the ideals of her class and identifying with the poor struggling, impoverished farmers.

    Cast in the mode of the mythical Moremi of Ile-Ife, the splendour and opulence of Titubi’s bourgeois background do not impair her appreciation of the enervating realities suffered by the helpless, exploited farmers. In all her Spartan disposition, Titubi failed to save the people from the agony of losing Marshal her husband at the end of the play.

    The unanswered question for Titubi is – why was she unable to stop Marshal from embarking on that fateful journey at the end of the play thereby plunging the people into despair and grief? In many ways, one can easily establish a parallel, even if minimal, between Titubi and Nigeria’s First Lady Aisha Buhari. Like Titubi, Aisha Buhari is beautiful, resplendent, endearing, and enchanting. Her elegance belongs to the realm of Aglaea, the Greek goddess of glory and beauty, yet she is one of us by birth but perhaps not by inclination and predilection.

    Aisha Buhari follows the tradition of Nigeria’s beautiful past First Ladies but she is different in many ways. She is fearless, blunt, assertive, uncompromising, and speaks truth to power no matter whose Ox is gored. She manifests the characteristics of an activist, one committed to fighting for the rights and privileges of the common people.

    Many Nigerians love her for different reasons – some for her outspokenness and many others for her humility. Indeed, the mother of five children has not relented in empathizing with the downtrodden and their multifaceted challenges under the constricting administration of her husband. Hitherto unknown before her husband’s ascension to power, she does not come across as a grovelling, subservient, tame housewife consigned to za oza room in remorseless servitude.

    Still, there are Nigerians who believe she is a crafty, scheming power hungry lady who only speaks out when her interests are threatened. Not many Nigerians smiled when she posted a picture of her graduating daughter-in-law in the UK when Nigerian universities were closed for eight months. Her reaction after the public outcry to the insensitive display of education triumph in a foreign land revealed her responsive other. Truly, there are many sides to Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady.

    Recently, Aisha Buhari admitted that her husband President Muhammadu Buhari suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an accumulation of all the tensions of the civil war, the coup he experienced in 1984 and the subsequent 40 months of detention following the coup. The First Lady confessed that her husband’s mental and psychological issues posed some problems for her as a 19-year-old wife soon after their marriage in 1989. In her no-holds-barred manner, she revealed that her husband’s condition degenerated following his electoral defeat in 2003, 2007, and 2011.

    Unfortunately, after all these extreme psychological and mental experiences, her husband was never rehabilitated nor did he go through any formal physiotherapy to put him in a proper condition. I am not a Medical Doctor but can, in my little way, decipher that someone suffering from PTSD cannot be fit to occupy a sensitive position as the President of any country in the world. PTSD is a psychological and mental condition characterized by nightmares, tragic flashbacks, pain, sweating, trembling sensations, distress, trauma, and loss of memory. PTSD challenges the psychological and mental balance of the patients and renders them ineffectual to carry out their daily activities.

    Certainly, the scenario described above is a serious one. It can happen to anyone who has gone through all the turmoil and experiences as explained. Is it possible that a PTSD patient is fit to occupy public office and preside over the affairs of millions of people? The all-important question for our dear exquisite, delectable First Lady is why she didn’t reveal to Nigerians that her husband was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and therefore was unfit to run for the position of president. If Aisha Buhari did not reveal the mental and psychological state of her husband then, why did she reveal it now that her husband’s administration is coming to a disreputable end?

    By failing to reveal to Nigerians the exact mental and psychological state of her husband, Aisha Buhari is guilty of foisting on Nigerians a man who was, ab initio not fit for office. No doubt President Buhari’s mental and psychological conditions have affected his performance and functions as the president which is evident to all. Anyone can be ill, and there is nothing wrong with that but the question once more is, why did Aisha Buhari conceal the conditions of the man Nigerians voted for as their president in 2015?

    Although Aisha Buhari’s answers to these questions may be irrelevant, they will certainly guide conscientious observers to understand the psychology of power desperados privileged to know the inner secrets of public office seekers. Could it be that Aisha Buhari desperately wanted to answer the First Lady and therefore did not mind that her unfit husband ascended to power to the detriment of several millions of people? Aisha must answer these questions and in good time too. While the campaigns for the 2015 elections were going on, many Nigerians noticed that the handsome, tough-talking Muhammadu Buhari was not in control of himself.

    But those desperate to see him in Aso Rock for their selfish purposes egged him on, shutting dissenting voices up. We could see the glaring pointers as the former military head of state floundered from one gaffe to another. Nigerians were encouraged to overlook the obvious psychological and mental conditions of the aspiring Muhammadu Buhari. Aisha Buhari knew the truth but concealed it for reasons best known to her. Madam First Lady, why didn’t you call a press conference and inform Nigerians that your husband suffered from PTSD and therefore was not fit to occupy the office of the President? Since the assumption of office, President Buhari has spent 201 days on medical leave abroad with taxpayers’ money to good effect.

    Towards the 2023 general elections, some presidential aspirants are obviously sick and unfit to occupy public office. It is glaring to all Nigerians, no soothsayer is required. No seer or magician is needed. The signs are there for everybody to see. Yet, for impenetrable reasons, for reasons that border on greed and psychotic desperation for personal glory, many people are covering our sickly aspirants in healthy apparel.

    It is not enough that Nigeria has witnessed a calamitous administration in the last seven and half years – yet some people are willing to see the country go through the same experience in the next eight years. It is unthinkable. Are there wives with a good knowledge of their spouses’ flawed health status but are desperate to answer First Lady no matter what Nigerians go through under a sickly president? Are there associates who know more than the rest of us but would rather keep mute because they are sure of filthy patronage upon the assumption of office by our sickly aspirants?

    Is Nigerian doomed to have health-challenged presidents because there are no healthy people on our soil? These are questions we must collectively address and answer in the tranquillity of our rooms before polluting public space from the putrid congestion of our compromised sensibilities.

    As a matter of urgency, all the presidential aspirants, without exception, should travel to the best hospitals in the UK or USA, undergo a comprehensive medical examination and present the certificates to Nigerians which will also be confirmed. That is the way to go. That is what a serious-minded country should do.

     

    Promise Adiele PhD
    Mountain Top University
    Promee01@yahoo.com
    Twitter: Drpee4

  • PTSD: How I managed Buhari’s mental state after leaving detention – Aisha

    PTSD: How I managed Buhari’s mental state after leaving detention – Aisha

    Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s first lady has revealed how she endured several years living with President Muhammadu Buhari, who battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following his civil war experience, detention and several electoral failures to become the country’s democratic ruler.

    Hear her story:

    “One year after he came out from detention, we were married. I clocked 19 years in his house as his wife, legitimately. I suffered the consequences of PTSD because having gone through all these, and at the age of 19, to handle somebody who was a former head of state and commander-in-chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, to tell him that he is wrong is the first mistake you will make,” Mrs Buhari disclosed.

    The Nigerian first lady stated this on Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Armed Forces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Centre (AFPTSDC).

    “This centre is timely, as PTSD is a problem that really deserves a solution of this nature, and providing facilities for treatment and rehabilitation of patients is key,” she noted. “Therefore, fundraising is not the solution. The solution is for the federal government that sent them to the war front to take responsibility for taking care of the mental health of returnees from the war front. PTSD cuts across all ages.”

    PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

    “My husband served the Nigerian Army for 27 years before he was overthrown in a coup d’état. He fought the civil war for 30 months without rehabilitation; he ruled Nigeria for 20 months and was detained for 40 months without disclosing the nature of his offence,” Mrs Buhari stressed. “You can imagine myself at 19 years, handling somebody that went to war, suffered (a) coup d’état, then lost several elections, and, finally, getting to the Villa in 2015.”

    Mr Buhari had, on several occasions, recalled his role during the Nigerian civil war. In recent times, Mr Buhari narrated how he and his colleagues in the Nigerian Army killed hundreds of thousands of Nigerians on the Biafran side during the war.

    The first lady commended DEPOWA for “this foresighted vision” of establishing the PTSD centre “for our soldiers.”

    Mrs Buhari further stated, “It is a reality that soldiers and military families have to live with, despite its negative consequences. Being a soldier’s wife or a retired soldier’s wife and a wellness expert, I understand the challenges associated with PTSD and its impact on military families and the nation.”

    She revealed that Mr Buhari was not rehabilitated after his exit from the military but was left alone to bear the mental and physical trauma.

    “So, at the age of 19, I had to figure out how to tell somebody of his calibre that he was wrong or right, and that was the beginning of my offence in his house, and contesting elections in 2003 and failed, 2007, failed and 2011, the same thing – all without rehabilitation – I became a physiotherapist,” Mrs Buhari told the gathering.

    She added, “The fallen heroes remain evergreen in our minds, and many with us are wounded physically and mentally. I want to appreciate their wives and families. I want to let them know that the whole nation is with them

  • TRENDING: Buhari, Aisha’s Independence Day photo goes viral

    TRENDING: Buhari, Aisha’s Independence Day photo goes viral

    An ‘anniversary picture’ of President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, has continued to attract attention and comments on the social media space as the week under review witnessed Nigeria’s colourful 62nd Independence Day Anniversary parades.

    The picture described as the ”best pix from the anniversary celebration” was released by one of the President’s Personal Assistants (Photography) on Saturday.

    A social commentator and Abuja-based media practitioner, Mr Lawrence Olaoye, described the picture as ”a display of love in the first family”, adding: ”This is the demonstration of solid family base. This is an award winning picture”.

    Juliana, another admirer of the first family’s picture, who commented from New York, United States, simply said:  ”I just love this” while referring to the lovely picture.

    The lovely picture has led to social media challenge as different pictures of couples, including that of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, displaying similar postures were now treading in the social media space.

    The first couple were captured in the picture when the president, on Saturday, led dignitaries including Osinbajo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, several other local and foreign dignitaries to witness the  Nigeria’s colourful 62nd Independence Day Anniversary parades.

    The event was held amidst watertight security at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Saturday. It witnessed colorful parades and a display of a high sense of professionalism by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

    The president had earlier addressed Nigerians on the occasion of the 62nd independence anniversary. He assured citizens that their resilience and patience would not end in vain as his administration continues to reposition and strengthen the security agencies to tackle nation’s security challenges.

    Buhari said that he shared the pains Nigerians were going through while commending their resilience in the face of challenges. Buhari had also commended Nigerians for giving him the opportunity to lead the country both in 2015 and 2019. He added that he had delivered on most of the promises he made to the people in the last seven years.

    Buhari also reiterated his appeal to the striking ASUU members to return to the classroom, while assuring them to deal with their contending issues within the limits of the scarce resources available.

    According to him, the Federal Government will continue to mobilise resources both internationally and nationally towards funding education, to ensure that citizens are well educated and skilled in various vocations

  • APC crisis: Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo’s name visibly missing from Campaign council

    APC crisis: Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo’s name visibly missing from Campaign council

     

    All may not be too well with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s wife, Dolapo is visibly missing from the list of the party’s Campaign council.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls Osinbajo’s wife missing as Aisha Buhari leads APC women campaign Aisha, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been appointed as the grand patron of the Women Campaign Team of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, Dolapo, the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was not included in the campaign list released on Saturday by Rinsola Abiola, daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola, who is also named in the media and administrative committees of the campaign team.

    Speaking on the development, the APC, in a statement, said President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the exclusion of the Vice President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to allow them to focus on governance.

    Meanwhile, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, was appointed as chairperson, while Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, was appointed as co-chairperson of the APC Women Campaign Team.

    A former member of the House of Representatives from Borno State, Asabe Villita, was appointed the National Coordinator of the team with Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Buhari, appointed as her deputy.

    Olufolake AbdulRazaq, wife of the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, was appointed to coordinate efforts in the North-Central, while the wife of the Lagos Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, will superintend over the South-West region of the 2023.

    The wife of Imo State Governor, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodimma, was appointed to coordinate the South-East, while the wife of Cross River State Governor, Linda Ayade, will coordinate the women’s campaign in the South-South.

    The statement added that wives of governors in APC-controlled states will serve as state coordinators , while prominent APC women will coordinate the women’s campaign in non-APC-controlled states.

    Florence, widow of the former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, and the APC Deputy National Women Leader, Zainab Ibrahim, among others, were chosen to coordinate activities in states not controlled by the APC, while all ministers’ wives, all female senators, all female ministers and all APC deputy governors’ wives are members of the campaign team.

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  • Mercy Johnson, Joke Silva named in APC women presidential campaign council

    Mercy Johnson, Joke Silva named in APC women presidential campaign council

    Popular Nollywood actresses, Mercy Johnson Okojie and Joke Silva, have been named leaders of the women folk for the All Progressives Congress (APC) party’s presidential campaign.

    APC, on Saturday, through a spokesperson for the campaign, Rinsola Abiola, who is also the daughter of late Moshood Abiola, released its list for leaders of the women folk on Independence Day.

    The campaign list also contains the names of first lady Aisha Buhari, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Nana Shettima and 944 high-profile women and wives of prominent APC politicians.

    In the list tagged ‘Tinubu-Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team,’ Mrs Buhari was appointed as grand patron, Tinubu, a three-term senator emerged as chairman; Nana was made co-chairman while Lauretta Onochie, President Muhammadu Buhari’s personal assistant on social media, also made the campaign train as deputy national co-ordinator.

    In the category of zonal leaders, Zainab Baugudu, wife of Kebbi State governor will coordinate the north west; wife of Lagos State Governor, Ibijoke Sanwo–Olu leads south west; wife of Borno State governor, Falmata Zulum, will be in charge of the north east.

    In a similar vein, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, wife of Kwara State governor, will coordinate efforts in the north central.

    Wife of Imo State governor, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodinma will organise south east campaign; her counterpart in Cross River, Linda Ayade, will oversee activities in the south south.

    The statement partly read, “The Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Women Presidential Campaign Team is pleased to announce the release of the composition of its various committees for the 2023 presidential campaign.

    “While we congratulate the appointees, they are advised to collect their letters of appointment at the Tinubu/Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Office at No 2 Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja on 3rd October 2022 by 10am.”

    The statement further indicated that wives of APC Governors will serve as coordinators in their respective states while high-profile party women leaders will head campaign activities in non-APC-controlled states.

    In the 70-page campaign document, no fewer than 33 Nollywood and Kannywood actors were enlisted for entertainment.

    They included veteran thespians such as Joke Silva who chairs the category, Fausat Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Mercy Johnson, Rose Odika, Sola Kosoko, Lanre Hassan (Iya Awero) Hajiya Nas, Lizzy Jay (Omo Ibadan), Princess Kalihat Bello among others.

  • Aisha Buhari begs for forgiveness over hardship in Nigeria

    Aisha Buhari begs for forgiveness over hardship in Nigeria

    First Lady, Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has apologised to Nigerians over the hardship in the country.

    She spoke today during the 62nd Independence Day Special Juma’at prayer and Public Lecture themed Shura: The Islamic Foundation of True Democracy at the National Mosque Conference Hall, Abuja.

    “The regime might not have been a perfect one, but I want to seize this opportunity to seek forgiveness from the Ulamas and Nigerians in general. We all need to work together to achieve a better Nigeria,” Dr Buhari said.

    She urged Nigerians to pray for a peaceful transition of power in 2023, adding that citizens must unite to restore normalcy and peace in the most troubled parts of the country.

    According to her, “Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware that this government is making its exit and perhaps witnessing the last anniversary of the regime, I ask Nigerians to pray for a successful election and transition programme.

    “The regime might not have been a perfect one, but I want to seize this opportunity to seek forgiveness from the Ulamas and Nigerians in general. We all need to work together to achieve a better Nigeria.

    “Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, it is also noticeable that our Naira is being evaluated and the foreign exchange rate has affected our economy causing a lot of hardship and difficulties in terms of education, health and other day-to-day activities of our citizens.”

    While lauding the efforts of security agencies in fighting terrorism, she said Nigerians “must unite and fight against security challenges.”

    “I’m particularly happy that our security agents have stood up to the challenges of security more than ever before. And at the moment, their efforts have been pushing the effects of banditry, kidnapping and many other ills in society.”

    “I commend the efforts of our gallant security men and women and I want to pray for more successes in their operations,” Buhari added.

    To compliment the government’s efforts toward citizens’ welfare, she said her office has put in place many programmes in areas such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, and engagement of youth and women to cushion the effects and provide alternatives.

    “I, through my Aisha Buhari and Future Assured Foundation, have put in place deliberate efforts and programmes focused on improving the quality of women, youth and children.

    “Through this effect, I have empowered many communities. I appreciate all my partners and collaborators, the wives of the governors, the wives of service chiefs, my associates, well-wishers, and international bodies, that is development partners, I thank them all.”

  • Cross blasts Aisha Buhari for celebrating Zahra’s graduation amid ASUU Strike

    Cross blasts Aisha Buhari for celebrating Zahra’s graduation amid ASUU Strike

    Former Big Brother Naija season 6 housemate, Cross Okonkwo, has lambasted Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, over a social media post celebrating her daughter-in-law’s graduation from a UK university while Nigerian university students have been out of school for seven months.

    In his words: ‘Don’t come online and rub it in on your other children’s face”.

    Aisha Buhari had taken to her Instagram page to celebrate her daughter-in-law, who graduated with first-class honours in Architectural Science from Coventry University, United Kingdom.

    The first lady posted a photo of herself, her son, Yusuf, and his wife, Zahra, and captioned it, “Congratulations to Mrs Zahra B. Buhari on your graduation with First Class Honors in Architectural Science. Wishing you all the best.”

    Cross blasts Aisha Buhari for celebrating Zahra's Graduation amid ASUU Strike
    Mrs Zahra B. Buhari

    Aisha’s post, however, didn’t sit well with a number of Nigerians who tagged it as insensitive.

    Former Big Brother Naija season 6 housemate, Cross, also took to his Twitter handle to lampoon the wife of the president for the post.

    He emphasized that she’s a mother to the citizens of Nigeria, and since public university students are currently out of school, celebrating her in-law’s graduation would feel like she’s rubbing it in the faces of Nigerian students affected by the prolonged strike.

    “To me this is very insensitive ma. Your the mother of the nation and over 92% of ur children are not going to school atm and just because one of ur biological child finished from school. Which is kool and what not. But don’t come online and rub it in on your other children face.

    “It’s not kool and it’s very sad to me. All the children in Nigeria ?? should be celebrated like the way you celebrate your daughter. I’m lucky cuz my mum did her best to send me to skool. What about those that don’t have mothers. You are to be their mother .Mother of the nation?”. He wrote.

    Cross blasts Aisha Buhari for celebrating Zahra's Graduation amid ASUU Strike

    The reality TV actor and entrepreneur is the son of the late Ezego.

    He was born in Kano state and hails from Oba, Idemili South in Anambra state.

    Following the death of his father, his family had to seek asylum overseas as a result of the trauma surrounding his death.

    His mother, Uju Grace Okonkwo, is an Evangelist and pastor based at the Holy Ghost School Training Program in Canada.

    TheNewsGuru.com recalls that the BBNaija 2021 star had revealed how his family was kidnapped following his father’s demise.

    Cross, during an Instagram live session, said he was kidnapped alongside his mother and siblings and had to seek asylum in the United States to protect themselves.

     

  • Buhari, Aisha, Osinbajo jet out of Nigeria

    Buhari, Aisha, Osinbajo jet out of Nigeria

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday departed Abuja for London, UK,  to represent Nigeria at the state funeral for the late Queen Elizabeth ll.

    Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to depart Abuja on Sunday to attend the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA77).

    Mr Femi Adesina, Buhari’s aide and Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande disclosed this in separate statements on Saturday.

    According to Akande, the vice-president would join members of the Royal Family and other world leaders  at a number of events lined up for funeral.

    Members of the Commonwealth, Heads of State, Governors-General, Prime Ministers, and foreign royal families  will be at the ceremonies, including the funeral service scheduled to hold at Westminster Abbey on Monday.

    Ahead of the service, the vice-president will be among guests and dignitaries to be received by King Charles lll and Queen Consort Camilla, at a reception in Buckingham Palace, on Sunday.

    Earlier on that day, Osinbajo will hold a bilateral meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly.

    Queen Elizabeth ll was the Head of the Commonwealth and the longest serving British monarch. She passed on at 96 on Sept.  8 at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

    The vice-president will return to Nigeria after the state funeral on Monday.

    On the other hand, Adesina disclosed that President Buhari is going to address the UNGA on Sept. 21.

    “Aside his National Statement, the president will also participate in high level meetings and side events including the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum (NIEPF),” he stated.

    The forum is convened by Nigeria in partnership with the Business Council for International Understanding. Adesina added that the president would also participate in the EFCC-NEPAD programme on combating illicit financial flows.

    “President Buhari will also hold strategic bilateral meetings with world leaders, renowned investors and heads of multinational organisations while in New York,’’ he added.

    The theme for the 77th session which opened on Tuesday, Sept. 13 is: “A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.”

    Key topics of discussion at the UNGA this year include the war in Ukraine, the global energy crisis, climate action, and ending the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The UNGA will also hold a special summit of transforming education. On the entourage of the president are his wife, Aisha, some governors, ministers and top government officials.

    The president is expected back in the country on Monday, Sept. 26.

  • Aisha Buhari lobbies support for female aspirants ahead of 2023

    Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, on Monday in Abuja, unveiled her support for female aspirants ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    Mrs. Buhari gave this indication when she visited Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Aisha later told newsmen after a closed-door meeting with Adamu, that the visit was to congratulate the APC chairman for the good work he was doing for the party.

    “We are also here to seek support for women. They should not be forgotten by the party.

    “We congratulate the party chairman and to thank the party’s stewards for the work they are doing.”

    Earlier, Mrs Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs, stressed that women should not be forgotten in the party’s scheme of things.

    This, she said, is because women’s world is critical in all elective positions.

    In company of the president’s wife, was the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, and some female dignitaries.

  • Aisha Buhari, N100m nomination forms and our mumu of the week – By Mideno Bayagbon

    Aisha Buhari, N100m nomination forms and our mumu of the week – By Mideno Bayagbon

    The summons when it came was urgent. It was novel, so it rang all the curiosity bells. And one of the presidential aspirants, invited on short notice, to the bounteous Ramadan (Iftar) fast breaking with Aisha Buhari, was heard muttering: Nothing wey Musa, the gateman, no go see for gate for this country! Recall, that, out of the blues, the First Lady, during her cameo visit to the country, last week, from her palatial Dubai base, summoned presidential aspirants to come and break fast with her.

    While some thought it was a goodwill gesture, others felt, what the heck? On what basis, and from what law does she derive her powers to summon, okay invite, those aspiring to take over from her husband next year? Most of those summoned, however, had to double guess the political capital of either honouring her; to dine with her behind her husband, the President’s back, or incur her wrath by ignoring the summons.

    For those who are Christians, the story of Biblical Queen Esther, wife of King Ahasuerus, the all conquering King of ancient Persia, perhaps moderated their decision. A Jewish slave girl turned queen, Queen Esther had the onerous task of saving her people from genocide and extermination devised by a power-hungry confidant of the King who hated the Jews because one of them, Mordecai, arrogantly refused to bow and pay obeisance to him. Queen Esther had to use all her subtlety and charm to organise a special dinner to which only the king and his ambitious lieutenant, the conniving Haman were invited. Too late did Haman realise that it was a dinner of death, a setup for which he paid the supreme price on the gallows he had prepared to hang Mordecai, who unbeknownst to him is Esther’s uncle.

    This is not to imply that the First Lady had any such deviousness behind her summon. For as it turned out, she just wanted an occasion to contribute to the political discourse. She wanted to be reckoned on the side of the women of Nigeria and be their voice in canvassing for recognition, for concession, for consideration for higher political roles. In this case, since no notable woman has shown any interest in vying for governor of any state or president of Nigeria, she felt they should be coopted and be made deputies and Vice President.

    Nevertheless, some who know how estranged the President’s wife is in Aso Rock knew better than to attend the Ramadan Iftar. Not knowing what the First Lady was up to with her invitation they took caution and absented themselves. They just could not risk offending either the President or his minders, who from all indications were not invited and were not part of the dinner. Attending could have huge implications on whether a particular aspirant emerged the anointed candidate or not of the All Progressives Congress.

    This was of no consequence to the self acclaimed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was the only one among the top three contenders to make it to Aso Rock. He led a short list of aspirants, which included the joker from Ebonyi state, Governor Dave Umahi. The list surprisingly also included Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bala Mohammed who is Governor of Bauchi State.

    Political watchers are not sure what the motivation was for the Jagaban of Borgu. But detractors are quick to claim that the out-of-favour former Governor of Lagos State with Aso Rock Insiders, including, it is rumoured, President Buhari, perhaps saw an opportunity to recruit Aisha to his side. He is in a fight of his life to confront the mafia around the president who do not want him to be president. As he confessed, his life long ambition has always been to be president of Nigeria. But how he will package his Moslem-Moslem ticket and convince Nigerians to vote for him is another kettle of fish altogether. That is, if he is able to overcome the opposition from Aso Rock, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to emerge the candidate of the APC.

    Some have asked me, why I did not attend to the summons by Aisha Buhari. And I am quick to tell them that, apart from other aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party who probably were not lucky enough to be gifted this epochal invitation, presidential hopefuls like Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo joined me in boycotting the presumably sumptuous assortment of delicacies that were on offer. My big brother and friend, Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, former Governor of Edo state, represented Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I also adopted him as my representative!

    News filtering out of the repass however indicates that Aisha told those who ate her dinner that they must consider making their Vice Presidential candidates females. The Jagaban and the rest of them have kept sealed lips since after the dinner. But Aisha did achieve her goal: get into media limelight; irritate her tormentors in the Villa.

    N100 MILLION NOMINATION FORM

    Shame to all my friends, supporters and all those who have sent in messages of support, urging me to fully throw my hat into the ring and run for the 2023 Presidential Election. I have waited and waited for them to build me a war chest with which I will stand on to commence in earnest. Rather disturbing is the fact that none of them has come forward with either a N60 million or N100 million cheque to enable me get the nomination form of either the Peoples Democratic Party or the All Progressives Congress.

    As the two leading parties have made known, their nomination form is the first hurdle any aspirant will have to cross to show proper interest in the race. While the PDP is asking interested aspirants to cough out N60 million, its rival, which says it is fighting corruption, has mandated all aspirants to bring a paltry N100 million each for the form. Like some analyst have properly shown, the legitimate emolument of a Nigerian President in eight years comes short of N100 million.

    The electoral law has stipulated that the maximum a presidential candidate should spend on the election is N5 billion which we all know cannot elect even a governor of the poorest state in Nigeria.

    I think I have to do a rethink and a rejigging of those I call my friends and those who want to impose themselves on me as friends. I can’t believe that no group has come up to offer me the money for the forms. Yet groups and individuals are falling over themselves offering to buy the form for Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi and even for the stingy, bad market Peter Obi!

    Which also sends me a message: they do not think that funding my election is a good investment. They know I will not steal, and I will never allow anyone in my government to. Which means if you splash N100 million or N5 billion on my campaign with the hope you have a rich harvest ahead, you must be a BIG MUMU.

    LAST LINE: No doubt, the mumu of the week must be former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan! A ragtag, possibly induced gang of youths allegedly stormed the former President’s office to urge him to contest for the 2023 Presidential Election last week. Jonathan and those who don’t wish him well must believe the people of Nigeria are deceived.

    A shame that he wants to use his own hands to destroy the little credibility the outstandingly clueless and poor governance of President Buhari has given him. A shame really.