Aisha Buhari
By Our Reporter
Majority of Nigerians have castigated First Lady, Aisha Buhari over her conduct of celebrating her daughter-in-law, Zahra B. Buhari, who graduated with a First Class Honors in Architectural Science from a foreign university while the majority of Nigerian students are at home for the past seven months over the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Mrs. Buhari had stirred the honest’ nest when she posted on her Facebook page, a photograph of herself, her son, Yusuf, and his wife, Zahra, with a caption, “Congratulations to Mrs Zahra B. Buhari on your graduation with First Class Honors in Architectural Science. Wishing you all the best.”
But the post has elicited wide condemnations from certain Nigerians on Tuesday. Some Nigerians criticised her action and described it as “insensitive”.
They also urged Mrs Buhari to apologise to millions of Nigerian students who have been at home for the past seven-month over the strike by ASUU.
ASUU has embarked on indefinite strike since February 14, following the dispute between it and the Federal Government.
Speaking on the matter on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Luka Binniyat, described the post as ill-timed and called on youths to demand an apology from Mrs Buhari.
He said, “The action of the First Lady portrays the kind of arrogance, insensitivity and lack of respect for the teeming Nigerian youths, especially university students who are under severe frustration, because her husband has refused to do the needful.
“But she came out clearly to sneer at the other Nigeria youths by saying ‘we don’t care what you’re going through. Look, our children are already doing well, you can as well stay for decades at home.
It will not affect our children.’ She symbolises many other top functionaries of this government who have their children in similar schools.
“What the First Lady did is not only an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians. It is also an insult to the collective well-being of the future of our children.
So, all well-meaning people should protest and ask that she give a full apology and that her husband must be forced to take the right actions to return children to school.”
The Executive Director of Adopt A Goal Initiative, Mr Ariyo-Dare Atoye, also faulted the infamous action, saying that such a behaviour should be discouraged.
He said, “Nigerians do not only deserve a public apology from the first lady or the first family. But such an attitude should be resoundingly condemned.
“This should be an eye opener ahead of the 2023 elections, that we must elect leaders who will demonstrate in practical terms or who have demonstrated in practical terms, that they are committed to Nigeria and the Nigerian goal because what we’ve seen done by this first family is not just appalling.
“It is shameful. For millions of students to be at home without education, and the first family to come out to celebrate the graduation of their member outside the shores of Nigeria is quite embarrassing.”
Some Facebook commentators have also criticized the First Lady, saying that she ought to be circumspect in her conduct and show concerns to average Nigerians who lacked the financial clout to send their children to foreign universities
A Facebook user, Patience Nnedinso wrote: “Congratulations to her but, you should not have shared this on social media… It is insensitive to the plight of many Nigerians who are at home and whose children are currently not in school because of ASUU Strike”
Another Nigerian, Akata Victor, wrote: “Congratulations to Zahra While Nigerian students are wasting away for six months and counting.
I wish, for a second, that our leaders were humane and considerate sometimes.
I wish, really!
I wish!!!”
It’s a known fact that ASUU has embarked on indefinite strike since February 14, following the dispute between it and the Federal Government.
The union’s major demands include the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, a halt to the proliferation of universities, and the release of revitalisation funds among others.
