Before
the late Dr Mrs Maryam Babangida thrusted the position of the First Lady to
prominence, most Nigerians saw only the wife of a Head of State who was hardly
seen in public, played the role of receiving her counterparts when they came
visiting from other countries and taking care of the President’s immediate
family.
Aisha
Babangida however changed that. She gave voice to the local women and by
extension even to those in palaces. If there was any woman who opened the eyes
of Nigerians to the fact that the place of the woman was not in the kitchen
alone, it was the late First Lady.
She
surely laid a foundation for many others who followed her to showcase their own
dreams towards betterment of womenfolk as well as the nation at large. While
Maryam Abacha did not follow her pattern, her pet project, the Children
hospital was taken over and later turned to the National Hospital which is the
nation’s foremost health institution to date. Then Fati Lami Abubakar, who
succeeded Maryam Abacha initiated the Women Right Advancement and Protection
Alternative which ever since then has bene at the vanguard of women right
advocacy. Subsequently, Obasanjo’s late wife, Stella introduced her own pet
project but it was the one put up by Titi Atiku Abubakar, named WOTCLEF, which
focused on eradication of women trafficking that eventually stood out and
served as a precursor to toady’s NAPTIP.
While
Turai Yar Adua was too busy with her husband’s health issues to settle down and
leave anything tangible, her successor, Dame Patience Jonathan conceived a
Cancer Centre. It was not yet in operation before her husband was voted out.
One thing
about all these projects was their altruistic motives as well as the impact
most of them left in the lives of the citizenry. NAPTIP has become a major
force in the eradication of human trafficking in Nigeria as well as defence of
the rights of women and children. The National Hospital as stated earlier has
also become reference point for hospitals in the country.
Subsequently,
programmes initiated by other occupants of the office have left indelible
imprints in the lives of Nigerians
AISHA
BUHARI AND FUTURE ASSURED
Future
Assured is an initiative founded by Aisha Buhari to continue her advocacy work
for the health and well-being of women and children through community
mobilization and health promotion. Aisha was prompted by the need to improve
the current poor health outcomes of women, children and other vulnerable groups
of the Nigerian population, and Aisha affirmed her commitment to this work at a
stakeholders meeting held at the presidential villa and a public launch of
Future Assured programs at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly
held in New York on 29 September 2015.
Aisha
is currently working with the Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria which is
as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency that has plagued the country since
2009. She set up a committee to deal with the distribution of relief materials
after a visit to an IDP camp in Borno Northeast Nigeria. On Tuesday, June 11,
2019, Aisha Buhari empowered 2000 women in Yola, Adamawa State at the event
organized by Aisha Buhari Foundation with the National Directorate of
Employment (NDE). Aisha launched a Green School Agricultural Initiative at
Aliyu Mustafa College, Yola, on June 11, 2019. She also encouraged young people
to embrace Agriculture.
When
Buhari took office, he stated categorically that his wife would be at the
background in the scheme of things. Indeed, until about JUNE 2019, when he had
won his second term in office, his wife was not given the title of First lady,
rather, it was wife of the President. And when the change in title was to be
effected it was Aisha Buhari herself who announced it.
But then
not a few people asked, ‘what is in a title?” After all Aisha Buhari had in her
first few years in office dared to upset the order in the Presidency so much so
that whether or not you call her First Lady, she indeed was the first lady to
open the underbelly of the power house and expose the power play that goes with
sharing of spoils of elections.
WHO IS AISHA
BUHARI?
There is
no doubt that she was born with a pedigree. Aisha Buhari was born on 17
February 1971 in Adamawa State, Northeastern Nigeria. Her grandfather Alhaji
Muhammadu Ribadu was Nigeria's first minister of defence. While her father was
a civil engineer. Aisha Buhari went to primary and secondary school in
Adamawa State. On 2 December 1989, Aisha married Muhammadu Buhari, who had five
children from a previous marriage to Safinatu Yusuf. Aisha and Muhammadu Buhari
have five children together and one grandchild.
The
Nigerian First Lady holds a bachelor of arts degree in public administration
from Ambrose Alli University (AAU), and a master's degree in international
affairs and strategic studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. Aisha
obtained a diploma in beauty therapy from the Carlton Institute of Beauty
Therapy, Windsor, United Kingdom. Aisha Buhari holds a post-graduate diploma in
cosmetology and beauty from Academy Esthetique Beauty Institute of France.
Aisha is a member of the United Kingdom Vocational Training and Charitable
Trust and the International Health and Beauty Council.
For
years, Mrs. Buhari ran a successful business as the founder/managing director
of Hanzy Spa and principal of Hanzy Beauty Institute, a beauty salon in Kaduna
and Abuja. Aisha is a resource person to the National Basic Technical Education
on beauty therapy and cosmetology and has participated in the curriculum
development of small medium enterprises for NBTE. Aisha closed her beauty salon
following the emergence of her husband as president of Nigeria.
Aisha has
published a book titled Essentials of Beauty Therapy: A Complete Guide for
Beauty Specialists, which has been recommended as a text for the NBTE
curriculum.
Aisha
Buhari is a vocal advocate of women's rights and children rights, and this was
a focal point during her campaign for her husband's election in 2015. Aisha
has, on several occasions, emphasized the need for young girls to get primary
and secondary school education before getting married, saying that she believes
no girl should get married before the age of
In May
2015, on the sidelines of the Global Women Conference held in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, she stressed the need for Nigerian laws that will protect the women
from forced early marriages, sex trafficking and other issues Nigerian girls
and women contend with. Aisha raised concerns on child sexual abuse in Nigeria,
sex trafficking and the need for legislation against early marriage.
Five and
a half years into her husband’s tenure, the First lady has been involved more
in self-preservation battles than leaving a legacy. Indeed, the
self-preservation efforts have at times, generated so much controversy that
many wondered whether it would not have been better for her to take wait till
after her husband’s tenure and throw in her cap for an elective post. This is
because, there have been times when she spoke the mind of opposition rather
than that of her husband or the ruling party. Blunt, yes. Tact, maybe not.
For
instance, in October 2016, Aisha Buhari said that she would not back her
husband if he were to run in the next election unless he got a grip on his
government. According to her, many of those who worked for his election were
side lined while those who did not work with him were the ones who decided who
got what. It was a shocking remark because it reflected te thinking and talk in
many Abuja circles that those who were not there with the President when he
campaigned and who never knew his promises to the people were the people he now
surrounded himself with. Of course, the President reacted to the allegation. He
responded that she belonged in his kitchen, saying "I don't know which
party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and
the other room."
It didn’t
end there.
Aisha and
her daughter raised issues about the State House Clinic which was supposed to
serve those in the Presidency. They raised alarm over lack of drugs in the
clinic despite the billions of naira that was allocated to the place. Not a few
Nigerians noted the fact that the indictment was on a system her husband had
promised to fight but remained indefatigable. Many wondered if she companied
about the Villa clinic, what she would say if she visited the ones the
commoners use.
When in
2018, his younger brother was not allowed to pick the ticket of APC as the
guber candidate in Adamawa, Aisha took Oshiomhole to the cleaners. She
confirmed the well-known fact that the APC guber tickets were for the highest
bidder. Not many people were surprised with the information, but many were
surely taken aback that it was the President’s wife who came to wash the dirty
linen of the ruling party in public.
As the
APC formed its own campaign team for her husband’s re-election, Aisha Buhari
launched hers not minding the fact that some of the people whose names appeared
in one team were in the other.
After her
husband’s re-election, the wife of the President surprised Nigerians when she
made it known that her role as the wife of the president of Nigeria will be limited
to whatever is constitutionally recognized, as Aisha promised not to overstep.
At the presentation of awards to wives of governors, on Thursday, June 13,
2019, Aisha Buhari adopted the title of first lady five years after President
Buhari said he would scrap the office.
In
October 2019, Fatima Daura the daughter of Mamman Daura accused Aisha of
verbally abusing her and attacking her family. Fatima recorded a video of Aisha
ranting inside the presidential villa in Abuja and submitted the video to the
press. Fatima Daura said she recorded the video because no one would have believed
her if she made those claims without evidence.
Aisha
Confirmed she was indeed the one in the video and alleged that Fatima Daura
mocked her while recording her. She later apologized to her family and the
Federal Republic of Nigeria in a statement through her spokesman, Suleiman
Haruna. She explained she was angry because Mamman Daura and his family denied
her access to some parts of the Presidential Villa after President Buhari
ordered Mamman Daura and his family out of the Villa.
There is
no end to listing the cases and situations in which the First Lady has
generated so much controversy that she forced herself to trend on the social
media.
Only a
few days ago, at the beginning of the ENDSARS protest in Nigeria, she was on
Twitter as usual and in a show of solidarity with the protesters Twitted a song
which was a wake-up call to her husband to make the country secure.
PLAYING
TO THE GALLERY OR SIMPLY REFUSING TO CONFORM
Every
society has deviants who choose to sow their own uniform in a non-conforming
way, break ranks with the society or community and do their own thing their own
way. These social deviants hardly care what others think about their actions or
the repercussions for their positions. They break protocols for the fun of it.
They thread where angels fear to thread. They are not the type to chicken out
of fights and they don’t see any reason why they have to follow you to tow the
path others thread especially if it does not suit them or it has not achieved
the expected goal. They are deviants and they love being who they are.
Aisha
Buhari many times have behaved like one. The only problem is that before now,
Nigerians have not had deviants in such high posts so they do not know how it
feels. Deviants choose their battles quietly to show who they are. Aisha Buhari
always ensures that almost always when she has to play her deviant card, it is
in support of the right so that when you hear about it, you will say she is
fighting for the right cause. For instance, when she took on Oshiomhole and the
APC leadership over her brother being denied the Adamawa Gubernatorial ticket,
the issue was already in public discourse. APC had had issues with its
primaries in many states with the issue of money exchanging hands during the
primaries being raised in at least ten states of the Federation.
Again
when she criticized government’s empowerment programme through which the
Federal government claimed to have been sharing cash to people. Nigerians
applauded her criticism. Even when it became a back and forth issue between her
and Maryam Uwais, her husband’s aide. Nigerians Still knew who was telling the
truth and who was covering up something.
When the
story of Aisha Buhari is written, after her husband leaves power, she will
definitely be remembered maybe not for building structures or institutions but
for standing out and adding a voice to the cries of the voiceless, whenever
they cried out.
She might
have cried out especially when her rights or those of her kids were trampled
upon, which is common with every mother hen, there is no doubt that she didn’t
set out to court attention with her criticisms of the system.