First Ladies Deserve Privileges After Vacating Office — Aisha Buhari

The outgoing First Lady, Aisha Buhari, on Friday, has said that certain privileges should be accorded to wives of former Presidents after the expiration of their tenures.

She made the declaration at the launching of a book in Abuja authored by the President of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA), Mrs Vickie Anwuli Irabor, titled, ‘The Journey of a Military Wife’.

The outgoing First Lady listed such privileges to include the provision of vehicles, sponsored medical treatments and provision of some stipends, among others.

She pointed out that first ladies deserved these privileges just like their husbands or Presidents in office and out of office saying that “when the pressure comes, nobody wants to know whether you are out of the villa or not.”

While justifying the reasons such privileges should be extended to first ladies, Mrs Buhari said, “I married my husband as the wife of a former president. I am going in a few days as a wife of a former president a second time.

“They should consider us as former first ladies. They should incorporate the first ladies and give us some privileges that we deserve as first ladies, not just the former presidents.

She commended Mrs Irabor for the book, noting that, “It is a factual, emotional book that will help officers’ wives navigate their lives. “It underscores women as agents of stability for the nation as the nation battled insurgency and other security challenges.

“It’s a guide and reference for military wives, and the need for better support for military widows, the insights from the book will help readers appreciate the challenges of the military family,”