Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has at last found her voice after a long hiatus that gave rise to several speculations on her whereabouts and the reason for the deafening silence from a once highly visible First Lady, who never had a problem speaking her mind.
The President’s wife, in a statement posted on Twitter to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, while appreciating the efforts of women and girls in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, bemoaned the spate of abductions in the country.
She said: “Away from COVID-19, women and girls in Nigeria have continued to suffer abductions both in the hands of insurgents and bandits.
“As a mother, I share the sorrow and agony of the victims and their families. I am also not unaware of the impact that these abductions could have in reverting many successes we have hitherto achieved, especially in terms of girl-child education and early marriages.
“I call on all stakeholders to continue to exert their different levels of influence and bring these abductions to an end and to assure us that girls are safe anywhere they may find themselves.”
Before the statement to mark this year’s IWD, Aisha, who could be boisterous on occasions, had been off the radar, with many speculating that she had relocated to Dubai, away from the prying eyes of the Nigerians media and the often troubling presence of Nigerian politicians.
