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For 8 years, Buhari had the wrong people in the right places — Former First Lady, Aisha
Former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has passed a damning verdict on the eight-year tenure of her husband, the immediate past President, late Muhammadu Buhari.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
In a book unveiled on Monday at the Banquet Hall of the State House, entitled ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari”’, authored by Dr. Charles Omole, the former First Lady narrated how the former president was held captive by “a small court of elderly relatives and elites”, whom she further described as a “mafia of a certain kind, (with) native intelligence bent to private ends.”
In chapter 22 of the book, with a subtitle, ‘Revelations at Last after the Silence: Aisha Buhari’s Account of the Villa and the Men who fought a Presidency’, the author gave a gripping account of how those who laboured to ensure victory for Buhari in 2015 lost out in the power game at the State House with the mafia dictating who got what, when and how.
The First Lady’s predicament worsened in 2017, two years into the first tenure of the late President as the strong men who “cautioned the president that his wife’s ‘strong character’ would overshadow them if she were let in,” actually plotted to push her out of the Villa.
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“In Aisha’s account, the house quickly filled with relatives and their wives and grandchildren, as well as courtiers and staff who learnt the shortcuts and shadows.
“They tried to push everybody out, including me,” she said.
“It is a blunt statement, and she knows it sounds blunt. But she stands firm on her boundaries: ‘This is my house. You can live wherever you like, but you cannot be in charge of my husband’s office and then also be in charge of me, his wife, inside my house.’
“With most of her children living and studying abroad early in Buhari’s first term, extended family members filled the void and occupied houses across the Villa. And because of his fondness and attachment to his extended family and old friends, Buhari was vulnerable to all kinds of scheming and manipulations.
“Those who knew his weaknesses exploited them to the detriment of the lofty goals of his administration.
“She describes a simple, volatile sociology: the president is not just a man; he becomes ‘common property.’ Relatives with no official roles begin to influence access; the people who dined with her husband during the long years of opposition are no longer seen; familiar faces are ‘locked out’, their names allegedly logged by security agents and reported elsewhere.
“When she privately raised these concerns and saw no change, she spoke publicly. She still remembers the shock of the 2015-16 ministerial slate: campaign stalwarts on the outside; technocrats and loyalists of others on the inside; a growing gap between the promise of a movement and the reality of a government. ‘They had money; they had people; but they did not have the power to install a president,’ she says now, almost wryly. They reduced Nigeria to a sitting-room meeting.’”
She attributed the public outcry and sordid judgement trailing the late president’s stewardship to the cabal that held him hostage.
“Her language for the proximal circle is uncompromising. Some followed him to obtain material things (money, access, contracts) and could not distinguish between ‘power’ (purpose, responsibility) and the rewards that proximity provides.”
According to her account, the practical effects were evident: schedules shifted, meals disappeared, allies were excluded, rumours circulated that signatures were forged, and a president who feared being called a dictator hesitated to dismiss men who disappointed him.
“‘He had the wrong people in the right places,’ she says. ‘He didn’t change them for eight years.’”
The book also revealed why, in 2023 the former First Lady settled for the incumbent president, Bola Tinubu, as the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate while the cabal was scheming to install a certain aspirant from the North to succeed the late Buhari.
In the narrative attributed to Aisha Buhari by the author, the First Lady settled for Tinubu for two reasons: the moral imperative for power shift to the South and the electoral value of Tinubu, whom she noted had the capacity to guarantee victory for the ruling party.
“When 2023 approached, the struggle over succession intensified. Aisha’s support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu was both open and strategic. She presents it on two levels. The first is the informal norm of power rotation. We have spent eight years in the North. Peace is priceless. Let us give the South the chance.
“The second is electoral arithmetic: in her telling she asked key governors from the North a tough question: ‘Among your aspirants from the South, who can be sold in the North’?
“She took their answer as the line to follow. The governors responded and said Tinubu was the most sellable in the North. She states her husband neither instructed nor interfered. ‘He has never,’ she claims. ‘He did not interfere to make anyone President.’ But the cabal around her husband, headed by Mamman Daura, she said, had other ideas.”
In the narrative attributed to Aisha Buhari by the author, the First Lady settled for Tinubu for two reasons: the moral imperative for power shift to the South and the electoral value of Tinubu, whom she noted had the capacity to guarantee victory for the ruling party.
“When 2023 approached, the struggle over succession intensified. Aisha’s support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu was both open and strategic. She presents it on two levels. The first is the informal norm of power rotation. We have spent eight years in the North. Peace is priceless. Let us give the South the chance.
“The second is electoral arithmetic: in her telling she asked key governors from the North a tough question: ‘Among your aspirants from the South, who can be sold in the North’?
“She took their answer as the line to follow. The governors responded and said Tinubu was the most sellable in the North. She states her husband neither instructed nor interfered. ‘He has never,’ she claims. ‘He did not interfere to make anyone President.’ But the cabal around her husband, headed by Mamman Daura, she said, had other ideas.”
Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, mhas released excerpts of the Justice Ayo Salami judicial commission of inquiry report which he says indict the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Mohammed Bello Doka, his media aide, Malami said chapter nine of the Salami report shows a clear conflict of interest that makes the EFCC chairman’s continued involvement in matters relating to him untenable.
Malami said the Salami judicial commission of inquiry was established under his supervision to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office within the EFCC.
He said the current EFCC chairman served as secretary to the commission at the time.
According to the statement, chapter nine of the report examined the conduct and responsibilities of senior EFCC officials and created personal and professional exposure for individuals now exercising prosecutorial authority over Malami.
Malami said the EFCC’s actions against him could not be reasonably interpreted as neutral law enforcement but amounted to a personal vendetta rooted in unresolved issues arising from the report.
He said the law on recusal is settled and is based on the test of reasonable apprehension of bias rather than proof of actual malice.
Malami said any reasonable observer aware of the circumstances surrounding chapter nine of the Salami report would conclude that he cannot receive an impartial investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC.
The former AGF accused the commission of violating his fundamental rights through unlawful restrictions on liberty and denial of fair hearing.
He also alleged a sustained trial by media through selective leaks and public commentary aimed at securing public condemnation before judicial determination.
Malami said the pattern of conduct by the EFCC reflects an attempt to criminalise lawful policy decisions taken while he was in office.
He said he is willing to submit himself to a neutral and independent investigative process and to face trial only before a court of competent jurisdiction.
Malami demanded the immediate recusal of the EFCC chairman from all matters relating to him.
“This is not a personal dispute; it is a constitutional issue. If the EFCC is allowed to function as an instrument for the settlement of personal scores and grievances, then the rule of law itself is imperilled.
“Abubakar Malami, SAN, will continue to insist on justice according to law and due process, not persecution by power,” the statement said.
President Donald Trump’s fresh visa restrictions is set to affect Nigerians who are planning to travel to the US for the 2026 World Cup.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
On Tuesday, Trump signed a Proclamation which restricts entry to the United States for citizens of countries deemed high-risk due to “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten U.S. national security and public safety.
Nigeria is among the 15 additional countries now subject to partial restrictions.
This means that Nigerians with Immigrants and Non-Immigrants visas in the categories of B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas are hereby suspended.
Officials at the American Embassy have also instructed to reduce the validity for any other Non-Immigrant visas that have already been issued to Nigerians.
Another reason for the decision of the American government is the fact that some Nigerians overstay their visas when they visit the US.
This comes amid reports that the Super Eagles could possibly still play at next year’s World Cup if their appeal to FIFA questioning the eligibility of some DR Congo players is successful.
Breaking News
Nigeria Set To Buy 24 Italian Fighter Jets In €1.2billion Deal, Biggest Purchase In West Africa – Report
Business Inside Africa reported on Tuesday that the agreement was reached with Italian aerospace and defence giant, Leonardo S.p.A., as part of Nigeria’s expanding military modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the Nigerian Air Force.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Nigeria has moved to significantly boost its air power with the acquisition of 24 M-346FA light fighter aircraft from Italy in a deal estimated at €1.2 billion, marking the largest single purchase of military jets by any country in West Africa.
Business Inside Africa reported on Tuesday that the agreement was reached with Italian aerospace and defence giant, Leonardo S.p.A., as part of Nigeria’s expanding military modernisation programme aimed at strengthening the Nigerian Air Force.
Beyond the delivery of the aircraft, the deal includes maintenance, logistics and long-term technical support, a move analysts say signals the Nigerian government’s intention to sustain combat readiness rather than rely on short-term military upgrades.
The purchase follows earlier approval by the Federal Executive Council for a $618 million borrowing plan to finance the acquisition of the Italian-made M-346 attack jets and associated munitions.
The latest procurement comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with deepening internal security crises, including a protracted jihadist insurgency in the North-East, worsening banditry in the North-West, and persistent communal violence in the Middle Belt.
These conflicts have placed enormous pressure on government resources, displaced millions of citizens and severely disrupted economic activities across large swathes of the country.
Security officials believe the M-346FA jets would enhance aerial surveillance, close air support and precision strike capabilities, giving the military greater operational flexibility in its fight against insurgent and criminal groups.
Nigeria’s growing military footprint is also unfolding against a fragile regional backdrop.
Recently, Nigerian troops were deployed to neighbouring Benin following an attempted coup in which mutinous soldiers briefly seized key locations in Cotonou.
The deployment, carried out at the request of Benin’s authorities and approved by the Nigerian Senate, reportedly helped restore constitutional order and underscored Abuja’s readiness to project military power beyond its borders amid rising political instability and military takeovers across parts of West Africa.
Observers say the choice of Italy as a major defence supplier reflects a strategic shift in Nigeria’s arms procurement policy.
By turning to Italian manufacturers, Nigeria appears to be seeking more modern equipment, competitive pricing and stronger after-sales support, while gradually reducing its dependence on traditional arms suppliers such as the United States, Russia and China.
The massive arms purchase, however, is likely to reignite debates over government spending priorities at a time when Nigerians continue to face severe economic hardship, rising debt and worsening social conditions.
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