Recurrent indecency of First Ladies
02 December 2022 |
4:10 am
The Office of the First Lady in Nigeria is yet again in public glare for ill, following reports of alleged abuse of power currently peddled against Mrs. Aisha Buhari. The scandalous nature of the action appears to have been underscored by the official silence ...
[FILES] Aisha Buhari PHOTO: Facebook/ Aisha Buhari
The Office of the First Lady in Nigeria is yet again in public glare for ill, following reports of alleged abuse of power currently peddled against Mrs. Aisha Buhari. The scandalous nature of the action appears to have been underscored by the official silence that reigned for several days on the allegation. Although the silence has just been broken, the incident at issue again relives the notoriety of the Office of the First Lady in our governance structure. Ab initio, the office is alien to the Constitution and as a privileged position, its unbridled benefactors have routinely behaved badly than the justice system should continue to indulge.
In the last couple of days, the social and mainstream media have been awash with the story of a student of Federal University, Dutse, Aminu Mohammed, who earlier tweeted that Mrs. Buhari was feeding ‘fat’ on poor people’s money. In a bizarre reaction, the 500-level student was arrested by operatives suspected to be of the Department of State Services (DSS), detained and allegedly tortured in the Presidential Villa, on the orders of Mrs. Buhari! Following condemnations in the court of public opinion, Mohammed was arraigned at the FCT High Court No. 14 in Abuja for cyber stalking.
For a fact, emerging cyber laws of the land frown at cyber stalking, body shaming and cyber bullying, among other improprieties. They are all distasteful and punishable under the law. However, the ‘crime’ is no justification for the seeming abduction of the 24-year-old Mohammed, who was picked up without notice. He was missing for several days. To later find him beaten and incarcerated in the Presidential Villa, without any denial from either Mrs. Buhari or the DSS, is the height of indecency and abuse of power in the office of the President.
The Office of the First Lady is technically non-existent being unrecognised by any extant law or the constitution. But in a culture that identifies the imperative of family, the ceremonial relevance of leaders’ spouses has conceded unwritten recognition to the office both at the federal and state levels. And since the military era till the present, spouses of the Heads of State and Presidents have had more than superficial influence in successive administrations.
Globally, the First Lady’s office finds relevance in ceremonial state functions, care for children, women and the vulnerable that could have been forgotten or inadequately addressed by the exigencies of day-to-day governance. It is for that reason that the First Lady is often referred to as the mother of the nation and the kindheartedness of an administration.
But the problem is the self-comportment that the privileged office demands, which its holders rarely reciprocate in this clime. Our First Ladies have been most famous for crossing the fine line of decency and thereby demeaning the reverence ordinarily attached to the office. There have been cases of overbearing First Ladies who issue instructions to ministers, judges and even security agencies, sometimes contrary to that of the President or Governor. Some governors’ wives are empresses in their domains, commanding elected office holders and civil servants at will. Their bad behaviour is legendary. At the swearing-in ceremony of Charles Soludo of Anambra State, the outgoing First Lady, Ebelechukwu Obiano and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Spain, Bianca Ojukwu, exchanged blows in public glare!
The difference projected by Mrs. Buhari in this regard has not been crystal clear! Once in a while, she features in the public domain but for selfish reasons. If she is not publicly addressing private family matters, she is seen in the middle of a lavish party for children’s weddings or lounging in Dubai because she has found unlivable the country her husband governs. It was for her sake that over a dozen of governors’ wives travelled, the other day, presumably at state’s expense, to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to present Mrs. Buhari a birthday cake. The First Lady clearly prioritises self-comfort and self-centredness ahead of the motherly role expected of her as the president’s spouse. To be seen, even perceived, to be hounding social media critics for punishment shows small-mindedness and poor understanding of democratic ethos. The act clearly crosses the line of decency expected of that office.
Indeed, First Ladies and their ceremonial offices should be put in their rightful places. The ugly development of having poor and helpless Nigerians tortured by the ruling elite signposts a commander-in-chief that has no major foothold on the conduct of presidential affairs. It is doubly sad that law enforcement officers, at the beck and call of the public officeholders, are too lily-livered to stand up for justice and act solely in accordance with the laws. Besides, if those who are expected to guide the wife of our leader on the unconstitutionality of her actions failed in their remit, can the President himself claim ignorance of his spouse’s excesses? In the main, our leaders should note that the office of the First Lady is not part of our constitution. It is therefore not out of place for human rights organisations to sue the badly behaved First Ladies for malfeasance and abuse of power, as deterrence for others.
That modern First Ladies continue to lack self-restraint registers a progressive general degradation of leadership qualities across the board. The worst of us that cannot manage their homes are taking the driver’s seat to lead the best of us and ruin the country. And the bad-mannered male folk in public offices are finding the Achilles heel in ill-tempered spouses that are undeserving of public recognition. It is incumbent on the Nigerian public not to settle for less, but demand decency, good family values and etiquette from public office holders across the board ahead of the 2023 general elections. Respect is not what to demand but such that is bestowed on the grounds of sterling character and conduct. An aspirant that is bereft of discipline and good character should not be entrusted with public office anywhere.
The president and governors cannot but be held liable for the misdemeanor of their spouses. It is their sole responsibility to have their spouses and family members under close watch. The revered office of the number one citizen in the country or state should be kept unblemished and tailored to the laid down protocols at all times. It is especially expected of their spouses, like all public officeholders, to be good mannered, responsible, humble, law abiding and to show self-restraint even in the face of provocation. As mothers of their people indeed, they should show more compassion and solidarity with the masses, not suffocate them. Aspiring First Ladies should not lack in etiquette. They should at all times be mindful of effects of their action or utterances on their reputation and that of their husbands. In the main, our next set of leaders should not recognise and fund their wives as First Ladies because it is unconstitutional to do so.
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