Govs React To Aisha Buhari’s Rebuke

Nigeria’s governors have said that the rebuke on poor governance given by First Lady Aisha Buhari last Friday was not essentially directed at them saying that the present set of governors have lifted the benchmark.

The reaction of the governors was upon news reports at the weekend where Mrs. Buhari was quoted as blasting state governors that “things were getting out of hand” in the country.

Mrs. Buhari spoke during the National Executive Council meeting of the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA.

But responding in a statement, head, Media and Publicity, Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Abdulrazaque Bello Barkindo said:

“Unfortunately, the haste to paint state governors with one brush or the race to hit the front pages in this case, destroyed the message that the First Lady seeks to convey. Mrs. Buhari was sermonizing on anyone in a position of power or authority to fear Allah in whatever they do because, according to her, as it is said in the scriptures, everybody would eventually account for his deeds before the Almighty God.

 “To insinuate, therefore, that the First Lady was referring to Governors when she said, “People cannot afford potable water in this country while we have governors,” erroneously suggests that only State Governors would meet God on the day of judgement.

 “It was in the same breath that she said, “We should either fasten our seatbelt (meaning tighten our belts) or do the needful or we will all regret it very soon because, at the rate things are going, things are getting completely out of hand. The VP (Yemi Osinbajo) is here, some ministers are here, they are supposed to do justice to the situation.”

 “How the reporters at the occasion conveniently forgot the above part of the speech and singled out governors in passing the message, therefore, remains a mystery.

“It is therefore incorrect and mischievous to allude to the warning by Mrs. Aisha Buhari as only directed at state governors as there is nowhere in the speech where the First Lady referred directly to the governors.

“Meanwhile Governors have also lent their voices to the social media Bill that is currently setting the tone for a showdown between the public and the National Assembly. The First Lady also made reference to the Social Media Bill in her speech at the NEC of the NSCIA.

“At its last meeting this November, which was chaired by the Governor of Sokoto State and Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the governors stated categorically that, because the Social Media Bill affects everybody, it is necessary for the National Assembly to consider holding a public hearing on the Bill before it is passed.”

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