AISHA BUHARI: WHEN BEST FRIEND BECOMES ‘ENEMY’
The last time I checked, the Nigerian
First Lady – Mrs. Aisha Buhari – who is reckoned to be the best friend to her
husband, President Muhammadu Buhari was on the contrary perceived as his
‘enemy’. Such phenomenon is not unconnected with the political comment made by
the woman in question during a recent interview granted to the Hausa Service of
the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
In the interview, which took place
precisely on Thursday 13th October, Mrs. Buhari had alleged that few
people in President Buhari’s cabinet have hijacked power, while neglecting
people that worked for his success. She unequivocally stated that out of fifty
persons appointed by the president into various political offices, he barely
knew five of them. When asked if the president was aware some people were
subverting his government, she said ‘whether he knows or he does not, those
that voted for him know’.
When asked if she had tried to discuss
such with him considering that she remained the closest person to him, she
answered ‘there is nothing I can tell him, he is seeing things himself.’ The
first lady went further to appeal to those who did not have voter’s card to
give way to those that had, stating that the latter were the ones that
struggled towards the emergence of this administration as well as knew the true
agenda of the government. She concluded by saying that if things continued like
this, she might not come out to support her husband’s re-election bid come
2019.
In
his reaction to his wife’s comment, President Buhari in an interview granted to
a group of German journalists during his trip to Germany, said ‘I don’t know
which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs in my kitchen and my living
room and the other room.’ The president further stated ‘I claim superior
knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition, because in the end I have
succeeded’.
The statement attracted tremendous mixed
feelings cum condemnations from the global community, particularly the German
Chancellor – Mrs. Angela Merkel who happened to be his host as at the time he
made the comment. Consequently, the president’s media aides described it as
joke in order to calm most wailers down; the claim became contradictory and
laughable when the president subsequently ordered the first lady in another
media chat to steer clear of politics, and concentrate on taking care of him.
One
would wonder what warranted the first lady to make such sensitive utterance
publicly. Being the seemingly best friend to the president, and one who should
hold the key to his heart, everyone would have expected her to begin such
crusade from ‘the other room’ before going public if need be, but she rather
thought it wise to commence from the public sphere. This implies that she
wasn’t having a good rapour with the president, in spite of the fact that she
remains the only wife of the president and occupies a highly revered position
in the State House.
The president of any country is
expected to maintain a sound relationship with his first lady in terms of
communication. So, when such scenario is missing, it becomes a lapse. For the
First Lady to have disclosed that she had never discussed the matter with the
President is a clear indication that they are not having a sound rapour, and
such is unhelpful to not just both of them but the country at large.
Pronouncement of proposed leadership policies is supposed to start from ‘the
other room’; you should first discuss the idea with your wife, and see how she
would react to it.
In view of the President’s reaction that the
First Lady belongs in the kitchen and so on, I think there was a mix-up
somewhere. Though his wife erred by going to the press to present such opinion,
his reaction was equally an overstatement. Describing a first lady as house
wife didn’t make any meaning to me. Even if it was a joke as they claimed, such
joke made no meaning to me, too.
The office of the First Lady is a very
viable office in any nation, thus anyone occupying such position ought to be
seen as an inevitable element while discussing governance. A first lady is not
meant to be relegated to the background irrespective of the circumstance,
because she’s not just a mother to her biological children but like a mother to
every citizen of the country where she reigns, and that of Nigeria wouldn’t be
an exception.
Also, ordering a first lady to stay away
from politics is, to me, an aberration. We can never finish discussing governance
without mentioning the First Lady; her role when it calls for governance is
very essential and unavoidable. Similarly, one cannot finish discussing
governance without mentioning, or taking reference from, politics, because the
latter begets the former. And, politics is like history whilst governance is
like the future. You can’t talk about the future without taking a clue from the
history. So, if the First Lady is meant to be deeply involved in issues
pertaining to governance, she is equally required to know much about politics.
Besides, Mr. President forgot so soon
the role women play in politics. He simply forgot that without the
participation of women, an aspirant of a certain political position would
achieve nothing. He quickly forgot that women, either married or single,
possess the highest number of voter’s cards in any society and they remain the
most motivated class when it calls for election. He actually forgot that his
wife contributed immensely towards his victory. Believe it or leave it, women
are the key to any electoral victory.
I expected President Buhari to attend to his
wife’s comment with silence while in public domain, and try settling the issue
with her indoors. Yes, she has erred, but that didn’t call for overreaction;
obviously, he overreacted. At such circumstance, people – particularly those
you call your friends – would push you to say what you wouldn’t want to say
ordinarily. That’s why we must be extremely careful whenever we find ourselves
in suchlike circumstance.
She has spoken as a woman, but you still need
to cuddle her as a man, probably having scolded her indoors. Women are too
emotional and highly sensitive; so they can behave in an unexpected manner at
any time if their emotions are hurt or trampled upon. This is the reason we are
advised to be careful the way we handle them. A little hurt felt by a woman can
make her act like an enemy.
I equally enjoin Mr. President to try and
address those issues raised by his wife. She wasn’t crazy to have said such thing;
her comments were ostensibly informed by convincing reasons. Mrs. Buhari may
have spoken the unspeakable, thereby making her appear like her husband’s enemy,
but we must note that her comment was consequential and timely. Even if those
comments were a mistake, let’s not forget that sometimes mistake is necessary.
So, those calling for her arrest, or her head, should jettison the barbaric
thought towards facing reality. Think about it!
Comr. Fred Doc Nwaozor
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@mediambassador
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