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However, one very significant reality but one that has been brushed off by a majority of Nigerians is the absence of the first lady, Aisha Buhari, in all of these celebrations of women. The office of the First lady was not created such that it be made a figurehead. The first lady’s office serves, first of all, as a symbol of representation for women in Nigeria. It also serves the purpose of symbolizing the necessity of women in high places of leadership. And at a moment when other notable women in leadership such as the Director-General of the World Trade Centre (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are gracefully filling their seats in leadership, others such as the First Lady was nowhere to be found. It is one thing for the First lady to be away from Nigeria and it is another to continue playing the role of her office in absentia. But the complete disappearance of Aisha Buhari from the significant spot in leadership which she occupies was a complete abdication of duty at a crucial time that young Nigerian women needed all the motivation to be the best they can be. For many years, there have been both private and public battles between Aisha Buhari, a few aides close to the president’s inner circle and the president’s extended family. Perhaps she got tired of playing politics with this band of politicians.
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Meanwhile, the First Lady may not have known that there is a difference between mere politics and real leadership. Engaging in real leadership with Nigerian politics. This was why some believed that Aisha Buhari never did care about the plight of women in Nigeria but instead seemed to have lost her voice in her own numerous fights with the political cabal. Examples of initiatives and schemes that other First Ladies in the past have established with great impact remain notable and far-reaching. Aisha’s Future Assured pet project has either not survived or was dead on arrival for lack of a goal. In comparison, the Better Life project initiated by Late Maryam Babangida helped a lot of women up the social ladder. Late Stella Obasanjo set up ‘Child Care Trust’ targeting challenged children and women with disabilities. The fight against women trafficking by ex-Second Lady, Titi Abubakar, closed up the exploitation of women by abusers. Since Aisha Buhari accepted the political and symbolic role of First Lady, she has not properly donned the robe of mothering the Nigerian nation and this is more of the reasons why it was easy for her to abdicate this unofficial role. Nevertheless, there is no other opportunity to step up and be a heroine than now. Aisha Buhari returns after five months away from Nigeria without any information to the Nigerian people, prior to her departure and after her return. In the absence of the First Lady, Nigeria was in dire need of, particularly symbolic women representation. It may be long before we realise the severity of this blow of brushing off women leadership in the national and local space. Featured Image Source: Daily Post NG
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