Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady, has apologized to Nigerians for the performance of her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the ruling All Progressives Congress in government.
On the other hand, Aisha carefully avoided admitting that her husband’s administration had failed.
Aisha apologised to Nigerians during an exclusive interview on BBC Pidgin on Friday, saying that the apology was because the Buhari administration may not have performed to the full satisfaction and expectations of Nigerians.
In an interview with SaharaReporters, the First Lady stated that Nigerians had high expectations of the Buhari administration but that it is possible that the administration fell short of those expectations, thus her apologies.
She said;
The expectation on us was too high. People were expecting so much from us, and maybe after seven years, we haven’t done to their expectations. Only God knows what is in somebody’s mind or as a human being, you cannot say that you are right or we have done what we should do.
The government has really tried. The administration has done their best but maybe it is still not the best for others. To them, they have done their best, only God knows, so we must apologize to them, to Nigerians; whether we have made up their expectations or not.
The President’s wife said she doesn’t know the particular area her husband’s government could have done better as her office is just like a non-governmental organization (NGO) where she only receives people because “I’m not into government. My own is to support them either on health or education. I don’t go into details of what they are doing.”
If she believes that the APC will win the presidential election in 2023, she asked, “Why did you ask that kind of question? Of course, we will continue. Of course, APC will win by the grace of God.”
Recall that on the eve of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Day Celebration, Aisha, speaking during a Special Juma’at prayer and Public Lecture, apologised to Nigerians over the harsh economic realities and insecurity experienced under the Buhari-led government.
She said;
The regime might not have been perfect, but I want to seize this opportunity to seek forgiveness from the Ulamas and Nigerians in general. We all need to work together to achieve a better Nigeria.