Governors: Aisha Buhari indicted the entire political elite — not only us

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says Aisha Buhari, first lady, did not only indict governors when she lamented that things were getting out of hand in the country. 

The first lady said at a meeting in Abuja on Friday that citizens do not have access to potable water in some states, yet they have governors there.

The forum said the entire political elite are indicted by the statement.

In a statement signed by Abdulrazaque Barkindo, spokesman of the NGF, the forum also said governors are working to lift millions of citizens out of poverty.

“Governors are doing their best to lift Nigerians out of misery and Nigerians are beginning to witness an improvement in their standards of living because of the conscious efforts of state governors throughout the country,” the statement read.

“Public schools in Kaduna state have receive a serious boost, aged women in Ekiti state are receiving stipends from government to keep their bodies and souls together, food security has taken the front burner in Ebonyi, Lagos and Kebbi states, unqualified Permanent Secretaries have been uprooted in Adamawa State and youth empowerment has taken centre stage in Ogun.

“That the nation’s religious leaders have to be told by none other than the first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, that things are getting out of hand, is an indictment not just of governors, as the reporters would like the general public to believe, but of the nation’s entire political elite.”

“Unfortunately, the haste to paint state governors with one brush or the race to hit the front pages in this case, destroyed the message that the first lady seeks to convey. Mrs Buhari was sermonising on anyone in a position of power or authority to fear Allah in whatever they do because, according to her, as it is said in the scriptures, everybody would eventually account for his deeds before the Almighty God.

“To insinuate, therefore, that the first lady was referring to governors when she said, ‘People cannot afford potable water in this country while we have governors,’ erroneously suggests that only state governors would meet God on the day of judgment.

“It was in the same breath that she said, “We should either fasten our seat belt (meaning tighten our belts) or do the needful or we will all regret it very soon because, at the rate things are going, things are getting completely out of hand. The VP (Yemi Osinbajo) is here, some ministers are here, they are supposed to do justice to the situation.”