By: Ollus. Ndomu
Nigerian social media spaces have continued to teem with strong sentiments against President Mahammadu Buhari’s wife whose apology on behalf of her husband’s governance failures has been interpreted as mockery.
Speaking Friday to BBC News Pidgin, Aisha Buhari said it was befitting to apologize to Nigerians for any governance failures under the Buhari regime.
“People expected so much from us. And maybe, after seven years, we haven’t done to their expectation. Only God knows what is in somebody’s mind,” First Lady Aisha said.
According to the First Lady, the government tried its best to serve Africa’s most populous country but the leader’s best may not have been the best to some Nigerians
“So the government… they have really tried. They have done their best, but maybe it is still not the best to others.”
“To them, they have done their best… only God knows. So we must apologise to Nigerians. Whether we have met with their expectation or not,” Mrs Buhari added.
Though Mrs Buhari did not specify areas she thinks the Nigerian government could have done a better job, social media commentators have strongly criticized the apology.
In her Facebook statement, Obioma Evelyn Agoziem, Executive Director at Centre for Corrections and Human Development said, “Aisha Buhari should do much more than mere apology about the failure of their government, even the blind can see that.”
Others have had the following to say:
“They should also apologize to southern Cameronians for illegally kidnapping our leaders and renditioning them to torture chambers in Yaounde. Trying so hard to frustrate our quest for freedom,” Kemira Akenji
“That is humility.
A sign of humbleness.
We are all human beings and human beings are never satisfied so the only way to satisfy a human being is to apologize,” Wilson Mbezyina
“She is apologizing because they have put bribing and corruption as the first job opportunity in Nigeria,” Angela Pretty.
In the last two years, Buhari regime has faced growing criticism for its blantant failure to control Islamist violence and armed gangs, institutionalized corruption, ethnic divisions, widespread unemployment as well as carrying out brutal crackdowns on citizen protest movements such as #EndSARS.
President Buhari leaves office in February next year after serving his two consecutive constitutional terms.
