President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, in a telephone interview she granted to Television Continental (TVC) from London during its programme ‘Journalists’ Hangout’ last Thursday, speaks on developments in the Presidency and why she will continue to speak her mind on national issues.
You were said to have referred to some people as responsible for the present situation in the country. I want you to shed light on this and who are these people?
Thank you for being with me this time to shed light on what I have already said. Actually we all know the situation in the country now. We are all adults. On that very day, I did not blame the governors specifically. If I wanted to blame the governors, I would have said the governors’ forum is not doing well on this and that. But if you listened to my conversation, I said what we are suffering now is as a result of long time of total neglect of what should be offered to the citizens. And we are all suffering from it; whether you are in the executive or as ordinary citizens, it is all the same. We can’t go to our villages and sleep with two eyes closed.
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So, it cuts across?
Yes, it cuts across. And on that very day, I also mentioned something on the social media, when the Sultan of Sokoto talked about the social media; the bad effect that it is reflecting in the society. The Minister of Communication was there when something happened. In that very place, the Minister of Communication gave an example, saying that somebody called the VP, His Excellency Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, saying ‘why did you resign,’ but he said: ‘No, I didn’t resign, who told you I resigned in the first place.’ The person said he saw it on the social media and everybody laughed in that hall.
When I got up to give my speech, I said it is not a laughing matter; I was surprised that everybody laughed. What does that mean; that they should continue saying that somebody as the vice president of a country, a country of 200 million people has resigned. A Minister of Communication that is supposed to give an order to bring an end to such issue talked about it and everybody laughed and that was the end of it.
No consequences for any offender; nothing. You say what you like and go scot-free. There is no way we should have such a society and have peace in it. So, once there is no consequence, everybody is not doing what he should, like almost everything is in disarray. A typical example of what happened is that wherever they are supposed to take action against the offenders or to take action or to be in control or caution people, they keep mute on it.
When it comes to unnecessary things, people will start talking from the presidency. A typical example is what happened after the election of Bayelsa State, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) people came out and said that they would suspend former President Goodluck Jonathan for doing wrong or something like that. I didn’t read it because I don’t have time. I see no reason why the presidency should come out and say that they were shocked to hear that. Is it their business? Are we PDP members? Is former President Jonathan a member of our party? What does that got to do with the presidency? Meanwhile, they said the President was dead when he was sick, they saw his coffin and also sent it all over the media that he is getting married; they were showing this and that, nobody came out to defend the President; to say anything about it.
How did you take that news?
I didn’t take it serious because even my husband doesn’t know what happened. They just decided to bombard the social media with it. So, they are now threatening the social media to bring down the government itself. So, I think that we should not allow people who are nobody and nothing to override innocent people. If people who are supposed to be in charge should remain mute, the bad ones will take over the country from us. It is totally unacceptable.
Have you ever been told to stop talking?
Who will stop me? Everybody is talking in the country; nobody stopped them.
So nobody has told you to stop talking because every time you talk, it is like a bomb…
It is a serious matter; nobody is talking, no consequences, so everybody should talk. It is like everybody is free to talk; freedom of movement, freedom of speech, expressing your opinion on things. And don’t forget that everybody knows that we are not safe where we are. You are either kidnapped or shot death or this one will attack this person and that one will attack this person. It is wrong. There should be consequences for any offence and the ministers should do what they are supposed to do. I know Nigeria is a complex country, but we need a bit of sanity.
We have seen several first ladies before you and I don’t think any of them has been this bold to be able to come out to speak; they don’t intervene in national matters. How would you want to be remembered after leaving this office?
Let me give you one example; I think on November 2, I met the wife of the vice president at the airport on my way to Morocco and she was on her way to Ikenne, Ogun State. She was looking so exhausted and sick. I said: ‘Dolapo must you travel?’ She said ‘what would I do? This people really voted for us during the last election and they did not allow any party to come to our ward because of me and my husband and now they are having a function in that very village and my husband is going to be in Daura; he won’t be able to attend. So, there is no way that both of us won’t attend that particular event for Ikenne people.’
I said ‘what does that mean.’ She said: ‘I felt indebted to them the same way they felt for us.’ I said ‘okay, you are now joining the line. Because these people voted for your husband and that was for only one term and the Nigerian masses believed in my husband’s ideology; they continued fighting for it for the past 12 years before 2015. Why you got to this place was not because you are the richest, most handsome and beautiful and most educated but we are just here due to trust and confidence they have in us. So, I feel indebted to the Nigerian masses and I will continue to defend them as the wife of the president, first lady or as a mother of the nation.’
Do you get to take on the President in some of these matters that you just raised? Some time, do you engage in pillow talk and asked: ‘Mr. President, what is happening?’
There is no pillow in the Villa.
Even in the other room?
No, because they are always busy listening to one story to the other. I think the people he put in the cabinet should just sit up and do the needful and that is it. That is why it is not good to have godfathers; we just need to choose the right people to be in the right places, so that we would rest, so that the First Lady will stop talking.
Culled from New Telegraph
