Aisha Buhari, wife of President
Muhammadu Buhari, has accused presidential aides of failing to speak up on
important matters but rather commenting on unnecessary things.
Speaking on Journalists’ Hangout,
a programme on Television Continental (TVC), the first lady cited instances
where she felt the presidential aides did not do enough to dispel fake news
peddled about Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
During the phone-in programme,
the first lady said the society will know no peace if people are allowed to spread
fake news without consequences.
“A typical example is what
happened is that whenever they (aides) are supposed to take action against the
offenders, or to take action or to take charge or be in control, or caution
people, they keep mute. But when it comes to unnecessary things, people will
start talking from the Presidency,” she said.
“A typical example is what
happened after the election in Bayelsa State. When the PDP (Peoples Democratic
Party) people came out and said they would suspend His Excellency, Goodluck
Jonathan, the former president, for doing wrong or something like that. I saw
no reason why people from the presidency came out to say that they were shocked
to hear that; is it their business? Are they PDP members? Is President Jonathan
a member of our party? What does that have to do with the presidency?” she
asked
“Meanwhile, they said the
President was dead when he was sick, they showed his coffin, they showed his
everything, and then recently all over the social media, they said he was
getting married, they were showing this and that but nobody came out to defend
the President, or to say anything about it.
“They are now taking to social
media to bring down the government itself. I think that we should not allow
people that are nobody and nothing to override the innocent; I don’t know why
people that are supposed to be in charge should remain mute while bad people
take over the government from us. It is impossible and totally unacceptable.”
Asked if she had ever been told
to be mindful of her comments, she replied: “Who will stop me? Everybody is
talking in the country (laughs). It is a serious matter, nobody is safe, no
consequences, everybody should talk.”
Buhari’s wife, who recently
backed the proposed legislation for the regulation of social media, also
accused some ministers of treating fake news with levity.
“When something happens,
something that a minister is supposed to come out and say, they don’t say it,”
she said.
“In that very place, the minister
gave an example, the Minister of Communications gave an example, saying that
somebody called the VP, His Excellency Prof Yemi Osinbajo, saying ‘why did you
resign?’
“He (Osinbajo) said ‘No, I did
not resign. Who told you that I resigned?’ The man said he saw it on social
media and everybody in that hall laughed.
“When I got up to give my speech,
I said it is not a laughing matter. I was surprised that everybody laughed.
What does that mean?
“That they should continue saying
that somebody like a whole Vice President of a country, a country of 200
million people, somebody faking that he has resigned?
“The Minister of Communications
that is supposed to give an order, to bring an end to fake news, talked about
it and everybody laughed and that was the end of it. No consequences for any
offenders? Nothing? You say what you like and you go free.
“There is no way we will have
such a society and have peace in it. When there are no consequences, everyone
does what they want and almost everything is in disarray.”
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