The First Lady Aisha Buhari’s admission that her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, experienced PTSD after leaving the military has stirred up a social media uproar.
After his participation in the civil war from 1967 to 1970, his removal as military head of state, and subsequent confinement for 40 months without being charged with any crime, Ms. Buhari said that the military failed to reform her husband.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Armed Forces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Center (AFPTSDC), which was organized by the Mrs. Lucky Irabor-led Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association, she made this statement on Tuesday (DEPOWA).
“I want to express my gratitude to DEPOWA for having the vision to create a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Center for our soldiers. Indeed, PTSD is a mental health issue brought on by traumatic experiences.
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“Despite its negative effects, it is a reality that military personnel and their families must contend with. I am a wellness professional and a spouse of a serving or retired soldier, so I am aware of the difficulties PTSD causes for military families and the general public.
“My husband was deposed in a coup d’état after serving the Nigerian Army for 27 years. He ruled Nigeria for 20 months, spent 30 months fighting a civil war without receiving rehabilitation, and spent 40 months in prison without being told what his crime was.
“We got married a year after he was released from jail, and I spent 19 years legally living in his home as his wife. After going through all of this, and at the age of 19, telling someone who was a previous head of state and commander-in-chief of Nigeria’s armed forces that he was mistaken is the first mistake you would make, I experienced the effects of PTSD.
“So, at the age of 19, I had to learn how to tell someone of his caliber whether they were right or wrong, and that was the start of my offense in his home. I then ran for office in 2003 and failed, in 2007, failed, and in 2011, the same thing happened – all without rehabilitation – and I became a politician,” he continued.
“Finally, the entire country spoke up in opposition to the abuse of power and poor governance. Only when it became a movement and we are here today did he succeed. He once controlled Nigeria, and he still does so. This is the last and final instance.
Every candidate who ran for office and lost three times experienced a severe setback, but those who ran in yesterday’s straightforward primary election are still reeling from the trauma. I tried to comfort them and talk to them, but some of them turned off their phones until today simply because of the primary election.
“You can see me at 19 managing someone who went to war, endured a coup d’état, lost multiple elections, and then, in 2015, made it to the Villa. Additionally, it is a difficulty in Nigeria and Africa for a woman to tell someone that something is right or wrong, according to Aisha Buhari.
Many Nigerians have opened up on social media after she made her admission.
