The then President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2016 joke in Germany of his wife, Aisha’s role in his administration,has, again, occupied centrestage in national discourse as the former First Lady has now thrown more contextual light on the comment, which went viral at the time.
Recall that during a joint press conference with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2016, Buhari responded to criticisms made by his wife on his administration by stating, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and za oza room (the other room)” in his Fulani accent of the English language.
The context for his remark was an interview his wife gave to the Hausa Service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where she suggested that his government had been “hijacked” by a few unelected individuals and that she might not support him in the next election unless things improved.
When asked by reporters about his wife’s comments, Buhari had laughed and made the “kitchen and za oza room” statement.
It quickly went viral, with many interpreting it as a highly controversial and “brazenly chauvinistic” remark, especially given that he was standing next to one of the world’s most powerful female leaders (Merkel).
Now, reviewing the situation, Aisha has said her late husband made the comment on the wrong stage.
According to her, such remarks often fail to sink properly in terms of meaning on the international stage.
Her views are embedded in a newly released biography of the late President titled ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, authored by Charles Omole.
The controversial statement is part of the book and it read: “The line, ‘she belongs to my kitchen…and the other room’ took on a life of its own after it was uttered in Germany, standing next to Angela Merkel.
“Aisha Buhari responds with the nonchalance of someone familiar with both the man and the soldier’s tendency toward gallows humour.
“We laughed about it,’ she says. Yet she also admits it was the wrong venue for such a joke.
“In the global square, irony travels badly…Back home, she was confronted with questions from international colleagues who interpreted the quip as official policy.
“Her reply was direct: she knows her place, and so does he.
“They argued at times over the distance between the nation he envisioned and the administration he oversaw.
“But they never argued about whether she belonged in spaces where power is exercised. She simply walked in.”
PHOTO CAPTION: Buhari and Aisha (leaning on his left shoulder).
