As opposed to the current practice, the outgoing First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has asked for the application of some privileges such as the supply of cars, sponsored medical treatments, and payment of various stipends, among others, that are due to previous Presidents, to wives of Presidents.
Mrs. Buhari said that first ladies deserved these rights just like their husbands or Presidents both in and out of office since, under pressure, nobody wants to know if you are in or out of the villa.
Aisha Buhari gave a speech at the Abuja book launch for “The Journey of a Military Wife,” a book written by Mrs. Vickie Anwuli Irabor, president of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA).
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”.