The First Lady said Nigerians expected so much from Buhari’s government and that it was possible that the government fell short of the people’s expectations.
Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, has said Nigerians expected too much from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Aisha said this in an exclusive interview done by BBC Pidgin, which was published on Friday.
Aisha Buhari, who apologised to Nigerians, said her reason for doing so is because the Buhari-led administration might have not performed to the full satisfaction of Nigerians.
In the interview monitored by SaharaReporters, the First Lady said Nigerians expected so much from Buhari’s government and that it was possible that the government fell short of the people’s expectations, hence, 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 its 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 organisation (NGO).
“I’m not into government. My own is to support them either in health or education. I don’t go into details of what they are doing,” she said.
Asked if she thinks that APC may not win the presidential seat in the 2023 general elections, the First Lady said, “Why did you ask that kind of question? Of course, we will continue. Of course, APC will win by the grace of God.”
Asked what she would be remembered for as the First Lady of Nigeria, she said, "Service to humanity. We give some stationaries, school materials and during our campaign, we extracted a few points from the party manifesto and capitalised on it and campaigned on it and that is school feeding; giving hot meals to primary and secondary school students.
"That one will encourage them to remain in school. It was a big challenge for us because, by the time my husband came into power, there were no resources for that but I insisted that we campaigned for it and it must be done."
On the eve of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Day Celebration, Aisha while speaking during a Special Juma’at prayer and Public Lecture, also apologised to Nigerians over the harsh economic realities and insecurity experienced under the Buhari-led government.
She said, “The regime might not have been a perfect one, 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.”