…Says ‘My husband cannot handle the challenges alone’
First Lady Aisha Buhari slammed state governors and ministers for failing to provide basic social amenities and infrastructure, lamenting that things were getting out of hand.
She said rising cases of insecurity, which she said was as a result of injustice, had made it impossible for some Nigerians to travel to their states and villages and live peacefully.
She said her husband cannot handle the challenges facing the nation alone.
Aisha Buhari admonished the political leaders to work together to bring the country of out of the doldrums.
Speaking at the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs general assembly and national executive council meeting at the National Mosque in Abuja yesterday, the First Lady called on the Muslim Ummah in the country to embrace the communique and directive that would be issued by the council.
Lamenting the high rate of insecurity in the country, Aisha Buhari said if the needful was not done, Nigerians would regret the outcome of insecurity soon.
She said: “We either fasten our seatbelts and do the needful or we all regret it very soon, because at the rate things are going, things are getting completely out of hand.
“The VP (Yemi Osinbajo) is here. Some ministers are here. They are supposed to do justice to the situation.
“People cannot afford potable water in this country while we have governors. Since this is the highest decision-making body of Islamic affairs, for those that are listening, we should fear God, and we should know that one day, we will return to God and account for our deeds here on earth.”
Mrs Buhari also called for the regulation of social media, noting that China with about 1.3 billion people had done so, adding that many people cannot visit their villages on account of fake news.
She added: “On this issue of social media, you cannot just sit in the comfort of your house and tweet that the Vice President has resigned. It is a serious issue. If China can control over 1.3 billion people on social media, I see no reason why Nigeria cannot attempt controlling only 180 million people.
“We must do justice to ourselves. Most of us here, as a result of the long time of injustice done to others, cannot go to our villages and sleep with our two eyes closed.
“We all know that my husband has three years to go. We either fasten our seatbelts and do the needful or we all regret it very soon.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in his address admonished Nigerians to be their brothers’ keepers regardless of their religious affiliation, noting that all Nigerians are equal.
He stated: “It is my view that the weight of ensuring that this country is on the right track is on our leaders. We should be our brother’s keeper no matter the religion. We should always be ready to make sacrifices for one another.
“We have religious and tribal tension in this country. Many are beating the drum of ethnic and religious war. We are at a historic juncture of our nation.
“Every Sunday, my family and I and other hundreds of worshippers attend the villa chapel, and it is located in the premises of the President and his family, and located a few seconds away from the kitchen of the First Lady. That is the kind of tolerance we are talking about.
“It is the duty of leaders to show that attitude. Leaders should be committed to their call to service, especially political leaders. Their actions can transform the nation.
The NSCIA President and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, said the nation must come together to address its challenges, insisting that girl-child education and the Almajiri phenomenon must be addressed urgently.
He disagreed with the calls for social media regulation, stating that there were laws to deal with the abuse of the platforms.
Abubakar said: “I have received so many calls on the need to regulate the social media. In Nigeria, there are so many laws that can deal with this issue.
“As Muslim leaders, what are we doing about these things? We must educate our children, especially the girl-child. We have millions of Almajiri children moving about on the streets.
“Some people even proposed having a hate speech law. We must accept the outcome of whatever the people decided. After all, people voted for our political leaders. Let us listen to the voices of the people. It is important for us to do the wish of Nigerians.”
