Outgoing First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has called for the application of certain privileges akin to the provision of vehicles, sponsored medical treatments and provision of some stipends, among others that are due to former Presidents, to wives of Presidents as against the existing position.
Mrs Buhari said first ladies deserved these privileges just like their husbands or Presidents in office and out of office because when the pressure comes, nobody wants to know whether you are out of the villa or not.
Aisha Buhari spoke 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”.
Explaining why the 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, give us some privileges that we deserve as first ladies, not just the former presidents”.
Commending Mrs Vickie Irabor for the book, Mrs Buhari said, “It is a factual, emotional book that will help officers’ wives navigate their lives noting, “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 need for better support for military widows” pointing out that “insights from the book will help readers appreciate the challenges of of the military family”.
