Wife of Nigeria’s President Hajiya Aisha Buhari has cautioned presidential aides against negative conduct throughout her husband’s tenure.
Speaking on Saturday night at an “Appreciation Dinner” to honour of All Progressives Congress’ women as well as youths at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja,Buhari’s wife said former President Goodluck Jonathan was not a bad man, it was the people around him that did negative things.
“There is nothing people did not say about the past administration. It is not Jonathan that is not good but the people around him”Mrs Buhari said.
“So, the people that are going to be around General Buhari have to be very careful because this election ended peacefully.
“We are praying and hoping that people around him should know that it took him 12 years to get to that position and they must know that they are coming to serve the masses, not General Buhari in person.
“It is the people that are around him that will determine the political health of our state.”
She also spoke publicly about an allegation many had handled quietly in the recent past. “I will like to inform you that in the past regime, whether it is true or false, only God knows, some people were going round and parading themselves as Personal Assistants.
“If you wanted to see the First Lady, you will pay $30,000 or $50,000 and if you are seeing the President, you will pay all that you have gathered in your lifetime.
“This will not happen in our regime. Whoever asks you to give a single penny in the name of coming to see the President or his wife is not our staff. He is not an APC member, it is a lie. Don’t be deceived,” she said.
She also gave some insight into how she became openly active in her husbands electioneering.“Many people did not know why I was not appearing for the last three campaigns. I appeared only this time and I think it made a lot of difference. A lot of people said my husband earned four million votes as a result of my campaign.
“We were not sure but with the popularity of my husband, we thought then that he needed female support to cancel the all sorts of gender problems people have been attaching to him like that he kept me under a purdah.
“He had never kept me under a purdah even for a moment since I got married to him.
“Even now, by the recent campaigns, it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu who insisted that I should come out and support my husband. Not that I never like supporting my husband ,but it all depended on the people around him, that was before.
“And now too, it is the people around him that showed that they wanted me to participate, we did and we have seen the difference.
“My husband is a gender-sensitive human being, having so many girls as his own biological children and then having me as a wife, then you can see the generation gap. He allowed me to go to school. To cut the story short, he is the pillar of my success.”
Those at the dinner included wife of Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Toyin Saraki; wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Gimbia Dogara; wife of the National Chairman of the APC, Mrs. Victoria Odigie-Oyegun among others.
