Aisha Buhari, Garba Shehu row, shame of a nation ― Afenifere

Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Wednesday, denounced the row between the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and presidential spokesperson, Malam Garba Shehu, which has made the former to call for sack of the latter, describing the sad development as shameful for the country.

The First Lady had in a statement, issued early on Wednesday, accused Garba of working in collaboration with the Chief of Staff to the President, Mamman Daura, to cause a rift in the family, adding that the presidential spokesperson had failed in projecting positively the image of President Muhammadu Buhari as demanded of his office.

National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said this while speaking with Tribune Online on the telephone, noting that the group was much concerned about the sad development and would have kept quiet but for reason that the First Family was involved.

According to Odumakin, it is a shame of the country that such “disarray” and “dysfunctionality” is happening to the president’s family.

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“We saw the statement by the First Lady and it a shame of the country that the First Family is in this kind of disarray and this kind of dysfunctionality. We would have kept quiet and say it is their family affairs, after all, how many homes have been in disorder, how many people have filed divorce suit, how many marriages have been dissolved? But it concerns us because it is the First Family,” the Afenifere chieftain said.

Odumakin said the concern by Afenifere was also borne out of the fact that the development within the First Family was an indication of the quality of minds that had been saddled with the responsibility of managing the affairs of a country as diverse as Nigeria when they could not even manage their own family.

This was just as he recalled a joke he just watched on a TV channel where it was jocularly said that Nigerians were looking for solutions to her problem but eventually “found their problem.

“If we have people who cannot manage their family affairs, manage a diverse country like Nigeria and that’s why it bothers us because the quality of minds that we read about and are being talked about should be of concern. Then I saw one joke on a TV channel this afternoon saying Nigerians were looking for solutions to their problem but they found the problem,” he said.

Speaking further, the Afenifere spokesperson ruled out the possibility of influencing the situation on ground in order to make things better, arguing that in matters having to do with the country, the Buhari-led government had always rebuffed the group and every other stakeholder making reasonable practical suggestions to take the nation out of trouble not to even talk family affairs.

“We have no role in that, even in matter of the country, when we make suggestions, they rebuffed us, how much of their family affairs. And in the one in which we are stakeholders, all reasonable, practical suggestions that we have made, they are turning their deaf hears. They have continued in their way and these are things that could affect the progress of the country. So this one they would say it is their family affairs,” Odumakin stated.