Nagode Aisha Buhari For Punching Garba Shehu, Mamman Daura’s Shoe Shiner

By Churchill Okonkwo

Aisha Buhari has proven herself before now as an amazon and woman of courage and character. When in October 2016 President Buhari said Aisha “belongs to my kitchen, and my living room and the other room”, a good percentage of Nigerians (men and women) lambasted him for demeaning and derogating women. In response, President Buhari stubbornly maintained that his wife belongs in the kitchen even in the face of national outcry. He added that Aisha should stay out of politics.

Unfortunately for President Buhari and the people around him who claim to be speaking on his behalf even without his knowledge, Aisha has stayed in politics and has fired again. This time, she has accused her husband’s nephew, Mamman Daura, of giving out orders for the scrapping of the office of the First Lady. In the allegation, Aisha accused her husband’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, of ordering for the scraping the office of the First Lady without the President’s knowledge. By this statement, Aisha Buhari is clearly saying that Garba Shehu is shining Mamman Daura’s shoes.

By speaking up on the cabal that hijacked her husband’s administration, again, Aisha Buhari is demonstrating an act of rare courage that encapsulates the theme of the 2017 International Women’s day “Women in the Changing World of Work. Aisha Buhari remains a model for Nigerian girls and women. For daring to voice the genuine concern of most Nigerians, Aisha Buhari should be seen and celebrated by Nigerian women (as well as men) as a symbol of courage.

In this latest sucker punch, Aisha Buhari stated that even with the scaping of the office of the First Lady by Shehu Garba and the real powers behind Buhari, she has raised funds to run her humanitarian programs. Aisha Buhari is building momentum for the effective implementation of the goal to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; ensuring inclusive and quality education for all, promoting lifelong learning and celebrating extraordinary women.

I am particularly thrilled by the power and stubborn determination exhibited by Aisha when on his return in October, he publicised and cleared the air on the many rumors that took over social media on some incidents in Aso Rock. Aisha Buhari, thus, did the job that Shehu Garba is paid to do.

Shehu Garba and Femi Adesina, who ordinarily should know better, have been celebrating imprisonment of press freedom in Nigeria. The media team of the Nigerian Presidency is grossly incompetent and has been displaying a blurred vision. Vision blurred by intellectual dullness and moral depravity.

This was clearly on display from the allegations Aisha Buhari leveled against Garba Shehu whom she accused of attempting to sack her media crew and getting them suspended for doing their job. Shehu Garba and Femi Adesina who recently claimed that millions of Nigerians do not care about Omoyele Sowore’s illegal detention have brought more shame and disgrace to the President and the office of the President they are paid to manage. Shameful.

As Aisha Buhari, rightly pointed out, “in saner climes, Garba Shehu would have resigned immediately after going beyond his boundaries and powers.” But no, Shehu Garba will not resign.

The culture of affirmation as opposed to challenge being displayed by the likes of Shehu Garba and Femi Adesina is disturbing and by some measures, offensive. Be it laziness or narcissism, there is little excuse for obviously well paid and well-educated professionals to relax into tired inertia. They deceive themselves and those around them that Nigeria is being moved in the right direction by this administration. Thus, the future of Nigeria is being threatened by sloppy thinking as superstitious nonsense spread its tentacles.

Aisha’s sucker punch of Shehu Garba as a person with not just intellectual dullness but one that also has intellectual dishonesty should be worrying to all supporters of President Buhari, myself inclusive.

To paraphrase Cyril Connolly, Garba Shehu with all his talents has now condemned himself to second-rate thought and the degrading job of shinning Mamman Daura’s Shoes. He has shown himself to be intellectually lazy and shallow: peddling ignorance as an actual governing alternative. It is very interesting watching Garba Shehu descend to the lowest level of a sycophant shining Daura’s shoes in other to keep his job.

Thank you, again, Aisha for being courageous in exposing the dangerous men that are endangering Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy.

Nagode Aisha!

@Churchillnnobi

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