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Tag: Aisha Buhari

  • Buhari’s wife flags off medical programme, targets 3,000 beneficiaries

    Buhari’s wife flags off medical programme, targets 3,000 beneficiaries

    The wife of the President, Mrs. A’isha Buhari, on Monday flagged off a special medical outreach programme in Sokoto, with a promise to reach “at least 3,000 women and children.”

    Mrs. Buhari, represented by the wife of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mrs. Gimbiya Dogara.

    NAN also reports that the outreach programme was organized under her pet project – Future-Assured Programme, in partnership with the pet programme of the Wife of Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, the Maryam Tambuwal Legacy Initiative.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs. Buhari said that the gesture was part of activities to mark the tenth anniversary of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on the throne.

    She said that the gesture was also part of her unwavering commitment to the health of Nigerian women, children and other vulnerable groups.

    “The children are the future of Nigeria and we have to secure this future by taking good care of them.

    “If we do no provide them with efficient healthcare services and other needs now, the future of Nigeria will be in great jeopardy,” she said.

    Mrs. Buhari urged wives of State Governors to initiate steps toward caring for women, children and other vulnerable groups to give them a sense of belonging.

    In her speech, Mrs. Tambuwal described the wife of the President as a “dexterous mother of the nation,” and commended her sustained support to
    Nigerian women and children.

    The Sokoto State Health Commissioner, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, in her remarks, said that the outreach had a lot of medical packages that included de-worming of pupils, provision of vitamin A supplements and anti-malarial drugs.

    Other benefits included free medical tests, consultations and drugs, among others.

    The Chairman of Kware Local Government, Alhaji Abubakar Zamau, in a brief speech, commended Mrs. Buhari for the gesture which he said would complement efforts of the state government and the 23 Local Governments toward quality healthcare delivery.

  • Aisha Buhari’s passion for womenfolk

    Aisha Buhari’s passion for womenfolk

    As wife of the President of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari no doubt has access to all the comforts that life can offer, be it exotic cars, choice meals, luxurious living quarters or the opportunity to travel around the world to meet famous people when she is not playing host to dignitaries in the Presidential Villa.

    In the midst of all the prospects of opulence, however, the conservatively-attired first lady has not forgotten the plight of her primary constituency, the women, and she is taking steps to ensure that as many women as possible get opportunities to join her on the pedestal of achievement.

    She has launched several initiatives to empower the womenfolk while she is a patron and supporter of similar programmes launched by others.

    She was a guest at the recent SHE Forum Africa hosted by Inimfon Etuk. At the said forum themed Regroup, Reboot, Remove the Mask, the president’s wife expressed her desire for women to get access to the same privileges and doors as their male counterparts. She prayed that women would make common cause in order to better confront and solve issues of gender equality.

    The event, which held in Abuja, had in attendance some of the biggest names in women advocacy in the country. Apart from the First Lady, who was represented by former First Lady of Ekiti State and wife of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, was the keynote speaker.

    In attendance were the President of Nigeria Women Trust Fund, Mrs Olufunke Baruwa, and the Chairperson of Better Life Programme for African Rural Woman, Hajia Aisha Babangida. Mrs Ebere Ifendu, the president ofWomen in Politics Foundation, also graced the colourful event.

  • Women are bridge builders, says Aisha Buhari

    Life of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari yesterday said that women should be seen as bridge builders to help men in developing the economy.

    She assured that women will continue to support their husbands in achieving positive results.

    Allaying the fears of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who said women are gradually taking over all spheres of the nation, Mrs. Buhari called on men not to be threatened about the successes of women.

    Wife of the President spoke at the RAiSE Foundation fund raising launch and unveiling of the Cancer screening centre, a pet project of the wife of Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello in Minna.

    According to her: “Men should not be threatened because women have not taken over.  “We only see ourselves as bridge builders to help the men.”

    Mrs. Buhari further urged women to be supportive in the agendas of their husbands.

    According to her: “There is nothing more gratifying than having a woman who is very active in all areas of life”.

    She added that women are working towards ensuring that the future of the nation is secured, stressing the roles of women should no longer be limited to certain aspects.

    In his address, Abubakar called on the male gender in the country to stand up and raise foundations as men are fast becoming endangered species.

    He challenged the men in the nation to rise up to the task of establishing foundations that will carter for men and the old.

    According to him: “Men are becoming engendered species. Women are gradually over taking. There are a lot of problems that men go through that needs to be addressed.

    “Let us try to raise a foundation that will take care of us at old age.”

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello extolled the roles of women, describing them as strong supporters and pillars of the nation’s political endeavor.

    His wife, Dr. Amina Bello called on government and non- governmental organisations to work together in achieving results and prevent post-delivery hemorrhage at the community level.

    She stated that the foundation was to ensure that no woman in the state die from pregnancy- related causes.

  • Aisha Buhari and the future of the Nigerian child

    Aisha Buhari and the future of the Nigerian child

    The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), in 2012, released a report tagged ‘At a Glance: Nigeria’. The report stated that: “Nigeria has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world. One in seven children dies before her or his fifth birthday.” It noted further that in Nigeria, clean water was hard to come by in northern Nigeria and singled out the General Hospital, Katsina, as one health facility among several others in the north where “half a dozen infants were being treated for severe malnutrition problems.”

    In its 2010 report titled, ‘No Child Born To Die’, another global partner in child development – Save the Children – reported a survey it conducted in Daura and Zango thus, “Although Nigeria possesses great wealth in oil and has experienced recent economic growth, 54 per cent of its people live below the poverty line. The poorest 20 per cent of children are three times more likely to be underweight than the richest 20 per cent.

    “A mother’s malnutrition is closely linked to malnourishment in her newborn babies and children, so the fact that 18.4 per cent of women of child-bearing age in Katsina State were found to be undernourished is a cause for concern.”

    Aware of these challenges and to let every citizen feel the impact of government, the wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, is determined to give everyone a sense of belonging, beyond the channelling of attention to women and children only. This is evident in the christening of her pet project- Future Assured, and its offshoot, Get Involved – names that are by no means suggestive of asymmetry but inclusive in form and nature. As the future is assured for women, so it is for men through the various action plans that Mrs. Buhari is rolling out for the uplift of families and society. To her, it’s needless to empower a woman only, when the man also needs empowerment to cater and support the woman and child. The man, after all, is also a crucial component of the family unit.

    It is based on this understanding that the wife of the president recently launched Get Involved- a quick interventionist programme to halt yearly deaths of malnourished children in the country on the strength that every child is entitled to a meal every day. Moreover, by the christening of the programme, it calls for the involvement and supports of local and foreign government agencies and private organisations. Already, some international bodies besides UNICEF and Save the Children are currently assisting Nigeria in the fight against poverty, malnutrition and child mortality. They include World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Partnership for Transforming Health Systems (PATHS) and Department For International Development (DFID).

    Currently, the new British Prime Minister, Theresa Mays, has appointed a new ministerial team for the department, which has planned to provide 100 million pounds through the Girls’ Education Challenge to help girls who have dropped out or never attended school. And with the commitments Mrs. Buhari is showing in promoting girls education and other issues concerning the girl-child, Nigeria is likely to benefit from the grant and other grants that have been set aside by development partners in implementing policies aimed at guaranteeing quality food, health, education, sanitation and safe drinking water for every Nigerian.

    She has commenced these intervention measures at Bama and Maiduguri camps for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) where she donated four tons of ready-to-use wellbeing products (Soy Kunu for adults/pregnant and lactating mothers and Soyalac for children) to fight malnutrition prevalent among inmates in the camps. These inmates are not only women and children but also adolescent boys, fathers and grandfathers.

    Mrs. Buhari also expects the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to join hands in mitigating high mortality rates among citizens, especially pregnant women and children through the formulation of dependable health policies and implementation plans. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the media are further expected to institute enlightenment strategies in this direction towards discouraging early marriages and teenage pregnancies in combating hunger and infant mortality.

    By Abubakar Jimoh Abuja

  • Aisha Buhari’s US visit: Arewa Youths Demand Fayose’s Apology

    Aisha Buhari’s US visit: Arewa Youths Demand Fayose’s Apology

    Following the visit of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari to the United States of America, the Arewa youth Integrity Forum (AYIF) has asked the Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose to immediately apologise to Nigerians and the first family after he claimed Mrs Buhari was a fugitive from justice in the US over the Halliburton scandal.

    Addressing journalists in Abujaon Friday, AYIF national president, Comrade Abubakar Ibrahim said this visit by the President’s wife is a further proof that Fayose lied in his claim about Mrs Buhari.

    He said, “We pointed out this visit because of its significance to what had transpired earlier when Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose came up with his tales by moonlight in which he vigorously tried to mislead the public with claims that Mrs Buhari was a fugitive from justice in the US over the Halliburton scandal. Various persons that set the records straight that the wife of the President was not the same ‘Aisha Buhari’ mentioned in the court documents were ridiculed and bad mouthed.

    “May we remind Fayose that Mrs Buhari was not the one who was recorded in a hotel suite conspiring with others to breach the Electoral Law. The first family did not tell him to engage in money laundry involving billions of naira ferried from one airport to another. It was not Mr President that made the lodgement of proceed of crime into the Ekiti state governor’s bank account. It was not northerners that made Fayose to be richer than Ekiti state neither were we responsible for his inability to sell his family to pay salaries to workers’ whose money he has diverted into his personal account.

    He said now that Mrs Buhari’s visit to the United States has confirmed that Fayose wasnt telling the truth, “we are calling on him to apologize to the first family, and Nigerian women.”

    Ibrahim said Fayose should rather focus his energy to explain his misrule to Ekiti people when his tenure expires.

    He said, “We see the vintage Fayose, upon realising that his lies have been found out, desperately looking for a way to distract the nation by calling attention to the handbag Mrs Buhari was holding in one of the pictures from the US. This obvious attempt to trivialize the issue with the woman’s bag is a new low for Fayose even by his own standards.

    “Our expectations are that beginning with Ekiti state at the end of Fayose’s tenure the electorates would insist that psychiatric evaluation and a consequent certificate of mental competence would be requisite for all the candidates seeking elections.”

    The youths urged Mrs Buhari not to relent on her life changing activities and should rather increase the tempo upon her return from the United States.

  • CPC names Aisha Buhari Consumer Ambassador

    CPC names Aisha Buhari Consumer Ambassador

    The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) flagged off its nationwide grassroots consumer awareness programme with the country’s womenfolk as part of the Council’s strategies in stemming consumer abuses in Nigeria.

    The Council, in line with this vision, has also named the Wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, as Nigerian Consumer Ambassador for effective mobilisation of Nigerian women in the agency’s renewed crusade against consumer abuses in the country.

    The council, in taking its consumer education to the grassroots, has identified some platforms, such National Road Transport Unions, commercial motorcyclists, the National Orientation Agency, students’ bodies, National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS), Consumer Non-Governmental Organisations and women groups as veritable avenues for its nationwide grassroots sensitisation.

    CPC’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, who flagged off the sensitisation campaign for women groups while addressing the National Convention of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) also made public CPC’s decision to name the President’s wife the Nigerian Consumer Ambassador.

    She said, “CPC decided to partner with the NCWS in its strive to achieve effective grassroots consumer awareness because of the vantage position of the womenfolk in typical market interactions.

    “Women constitute the largest consumer block, in the economy by virtue of their innate ability and God-given role of making purchase decisions as well as in catering for the needs of the family hence, they suffer the most abuse as consumers.”

    “The Council identified NCWS as an organisation that represents the entire strata of Nigerian women, particularly at the grassroots as part of her agency’s drive to drastically improve the level of consumer awareness in the country.”

  • Aisha Buhari fights malnutrition

    Aisha Buhari fights malnutrition

    Worried by the heavy morbidity rate of malnourished Nigerian children, wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, has launched a quick interventionist programme tagged: “Get involved” to prevent annual death of thousands of malnourished children in the country.

    The “Get involved” programme which was launched at the State House yesterday by Mrs. Buhari is a major component of her “Future Assured” pet project which encompasses health care delivery, education and other facets of lives of Nigerian women and children.

    Announcing the take-off of the “Get involved”, Mrs. Buhari called for the active participation and support of a broad spectrum of Nigerians and organizations especially Organized Private Sector, Development Partners, Relevant United Nation Agencies and Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs).

    She explained that with the participation of these bodies, this new initiative would also help to combat the alarming endemic problem of malnutrition of children at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country.

    According to her, with the collective efforts of well-meaning Nigerians, no child in this country should lack a good nutritional diet.

    Relying on the UNICEF Scary Statistics of 2.5million malnourished Nigeria Children and annual death of 500,00 of such children, the wife of the President said this situation is highly unacceptable and must be reversed with collaboration of Nigerians and organization, through her “Get involved project”.

  • Aisha Buhari pledges to boost protection of women’s rights

    Hajia Aisha Buhari, Wife of the President, has pledged to support Nigerian women by providing the necessary advice on all government programmes relating to gender.

    Buhari spoke on Friday in Abuja during the national convention and award ceremony of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS).

    She promised to fight for the protection of the fundamental rights of women and urged members of the NCWS to lead by example.

    According to Buhari, over 80.2million women still lack education and basic health care, while violence against women is on the increase worldwide.

    She stressed that if more was invested in women and girls, it would promote sustainable growth and development in the nation.

    On women representation, she said women constituted more than fifty per cent of Nigerian population and had the capacity to lead as president of the nation.

    “Nigerian women are the major voters and constitute more than fifty per cent of the population and are usually used in times of election after which we are pushed aside

    “ This is the time for us, they are either giving us the 35 per cent we deserve or we should get a woman to lead us.

    “This is time for us to mount pressure on the political parties to give us a percentage, we should put it in writing and sign and we should operate based on what we have signed.’’

    Buhari commended the women on the role they played in the society saying,“ women are catalyst and change agents and they are versatile in their roles as wives, mothers and home makers.’’

    Mrs Aisha Alhassan, the Minister , Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, who spoke, commended the women on their achievements so far.

    Alhassan expressed optimism that the convention would provide useful outcomes that would strengthen women groups and ensure greater women participation in government.

    The minister explained that the mandate of the ministry was to promote women advancement, adding that the ministry would welcome initiatives that would drive the course.

    Mrs Dupe Atoki, Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), said women were the major consumers in Nigeria, because of the roles they played in the family and society.

    She said:“ The council is coming to sensitise you to know your right, and in that, we have requested Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari to serve as the Ambassador of Consumer.

    “ She is going to support us because she has the tenacity to mobilise women and she will support us in mobilising women in any state we will be reaching out to.

    “ We want her to use her passion to teach Nigerians to get value for their money

  • Fayose to Buhari’s wife: Sue for defamation after 2018

    Fayose to Buhari’s wife: Sue for defamation after 2018

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has advised wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, to wait until the end of his tenure on October 16, 2018 when his tenure expires before going ahead with a defamation case on her alleged link with the Halliburton scandal.

    Fayose in a letter by his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, a copy of which was made available to reporters in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday said he enjoys constitutional immunity from civil and criminal proceedings during the period he occupies the office of the governor.

    The governor maintained in the letter that the statement he made regarding the alleged involvement of Mrs. Buhari in the Halliburton scandal was “correct and justified in law, having regards to a court judgment convicting one Mr. William Jefferson of bribery in the case.”

    Counsel to Mrs.  Buhari, Mary Ekpere & Co, had written a letter to Fayose dated June 22, 2016, demanding a retraction of the governor’s statement that her client was involved in the Halliburton scandal, threatening a legal action if the retraction is not made within five days.

    However, Ozekhome said the statement of Governor Fayose was correct and justified, having been factually premised on an existing court judgment.

    The letter reads; “Our client has referred to us your letter dated 22nd June, 2016, on alleged defamation of the character of your client , Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, with firm instructions to reply to and reject same in its entirety.

    “Our client states and reaffirms categorically that the statement he made as regards the involvement of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Buhari, in the Halliburton scandal, is correct and justified in law; having regards to a court judgement convicting one Mr. William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.

    “Therein, the name of the President’s wife featured conspicuously. At page 22 of the said judgment delivered by the United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in criminal No 1: 07CR209, the said Mr. William Jefferson was sentenced at 9:00am on November 13, 2009, by Mark D, Lytle. Your client, Mrs. Aisha Buhari was specifically mentioned in the judgment.”

     

  • Desist from inhuman treatment of widows – Aisha Buhari admonishes

    Desist from inhuman treatment of widows – Aisha Buhari admonishes

     

    Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has called for cultural transformation and an end to wicked and inhuman widowhood rites imposed on Nigerian women, just as she said that widows must henceforth not be subjected to any form of discrimination or sexual abuse.

    Mrs. Buhari, who made the call in Lagos at the celebration of the Widow’s Day organized by the United Nations Information Centre and Hope for Life Foundation, lamented the life-threatening widowhood rituals to which Nigerian women were subjected, adding that such must stop in the overall interest of the advancement of the society.

    Mrs. Buhari, who was represented at the event by the Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, equally advised widows to seek economic empowerment to live above cheap temptations.

    Delivering the UN Secretary-General’s address, Director of United Nations Information Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Ronald Kayanja commended Lagos State Government for providing the model to follow regarding the welfare of women and children.

    He also urged everyone to support the widows by not stigmatizing against them.

    Mrs. Buhari, at another event, where she was represented by Mrs. Ambode, called on Muslims across the country not to abandon the spirit of Ramadan after the fasting period.

    Mrs Buhari, who said this while distributing Ramadan gifts to members of NASFAT, Ansar-ul-deen and the Hausa community in Lagos, noted that the call became imperative in view of the need to encourage the people to imbibe right virtues.

    She said Ramadan represents love, peace, forgiveness, peaceful co-existence and extending helping hand to the less privileged, hence the need for sustenance of such virtues.

    She said that the holy Prophet held those tenets in high esteem and lived his whole life around them, adding that the entire sacrifice of fasting would only achieve its purpose if Muslims continued with those principles beyond Ramadan.

    Mrs Buhari further said that Nigeria was in dire need of peaceful co-existence, unity and mutual love to strengthen the social bond and to help the country overcome all challenges.

    According to her: “The lessons of Ramadan should go beyond the fasting period. As Muslims, we must carry on the banner of love, peace, friendship and mutual co-existence beyond the season. It is only by doing so that we can strengthen the social bond between us and keep the country united to overcome all challenges.”

    Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chief Missioner, NASFAT society of Nigeria, Shelk Abdullahi Akinbode thanked Mrs. Buhari for her kindness and for staying connected with people at the grassroots from far-away Aso Rock.

    He assured that the beneficiaries would use the fasting period to re-connect properly with Allah and carry the principles of the holy month beyond the period of fasting.