Looking at the current state of Nigeria’s economy amidst other serious issues in the country, Nigerians expect modesty from their leaders in terms of unnecessary expenses.
At this point, we should not be talking about our leaders living extravagant live styles giving our numerous problems as a country and as individuals. We should be working together towards putting an end to issues such Boko Haram insurgence, herdsmen and farmers clash, recession, our devalued currency and insecurity generally.
A few days ago, Saharareporters published a story where they disclosed some unbelievable expenses usually incurred by Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari every time she travels to the United Kingdom. Read an excerpts from their report;
“On at least two occasions in July and October, 2016, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, traveled to London with a large entourage, a fact that contradicts her recent claim that she only travels with her family members. Following an investigative report by SaharaReporters detailing how Mrs. Buhari and some top officials in her husband’s government receive irregular funds from the Nigerian High Commission in London, the First Lady’s office issued a rejoinder widely published by Nigerian newspapers to dispute our report. The statement claimed that Mrs. Buhari only travels with members of her family.
“However, two documents obtained by SaharaReporters show that in July 2016, Mrs. Buhari traveled to the UK with a nine-member delegation. During that trip, Mrs. Buhari had the High Commission pay for her ticket. In fact, she even canceled her initial trip leading the High Commission to incur a penalty of £200. The expense associated with her visit included the last-minute ticket purchase by a member of her delegation that was not initially included in the list sent to the High Commission.
“During the July visit, Mrs. Buhari was scheduled to stay at the vacant home of Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She was also expected to travel to other parts of the world while her entourage remained in London for three weeks.
“Another document obtained by SaharaReporters shows that Mrs. Buhari was in London in October 2016. During that trip, the High Commission allocated the sum of £10,000 for expenses, including an elaborate VIP reception on her arrival at the airport. The memo revealed that the First Lady was booked to receive VIP treatment at Windsor Suites at Heathrow that cost £1,500 per passenger. She was then scheduled to attend an event in
“Brussels and other places before returning to London. The event was widely reported in the media.
“Photos published by Saharareporters clearly showed that at least 10 Nigerian women, including wives of several state governors, accompanied Mrs. Buhari.
“Several sources in London and Abuja told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Buhari has made several trips to the UK since her husband’s inauguration as President. In some instances, the President’s Office claimed that private organizations or individuals paid for Mrs. Buhari’s trips.”
Though Aisha has denied the report through her social media aid, the entire revelation in the first place shocked a lot of Nigerians as recession is still eating deep into everyone’s plate at the moment.
Thus, we urge Mrs. Aisha to also put things into perspective and cut down on all her official expenses not just the number of her entourage so that together we can end corruption and make Nigeria a better place for everyone.
SEE ALSO: N4.6BILLION FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT CONTRACT: BUHARI FINALLY GETTING IT RIGHT?
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