‘Wife belongs in the kitchen’

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday shocked women’s rights activists in his country when he dismissed criticism voiced by his wife Aisha in a BBC interview, saying she belonged in the kitchen.

“I don’t know exactly what party my wife belongs to. Actually she belongs in the kitchen, the living room and the other rooms in my house,” Buhari told reporters with a chuckle after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who seemed to glare at him.

Buhari said that having run for president three times and having succeeded at the fourth attempt, he could “claim superior knowledge over her”.

“It is not easy to satisfy all the Nigerian opposition parties and participate in the government,” Buhari was quoted as saying.

The president’s remarks on the kitchen and “the other rooms” have been met with outrage on social media. There was immediate backlash and an avalanche of criticism over the president’s thoughts on the role of women.

In an interview with the BBC’s Hausa language service on Friday, Buhari’s wife said she might not back her husband in the next election unless he shakes up his government. She is a businesswoman and activist.

She suggested her husband’s government had been hijacked by only a “few people”, who were behind presidential appointments.

“The president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years,” she said.

Aisha Buhari campaigned vigorously for her husband in last year’s election in Nigeria, organising town hall meetings with women’s groups and youth organisations.

However, she kept a low profile at the start of the administration. She was restricted to her work on the empowerment of women and helping victims of the Boko Haram conflict in the north-east of the country, where she is from.

Her interview has caught the attention of many Nigerians. It is a significant blow for Buhari, who has a reputation for being a tough, no-nonsense president.

Her decision to go public with her concerns also shocked many people, but it shows the level of discontent with the president’s leadership, said the BBC’s Naziru Mikailu.

Aisha’s comments also bolster accusations that his government has been hijacked by a small group of individuals.

The comments could also mark a turning point for a government that has struggled to deal with an economic recession and is facing growing disquiet within the ruling party.

Buhari was elected last year with a promise to tackle corruption and nepotism in government.

The Nigerian economy, battered by low global oil prices and a currency devaluation, officially entered recession in August for the first time in a decade. Oil sales account for 70% of government income.

The president famously remarked at his inauguration that he “belongs to nobody and belongs to everybody”.

Buhari, a former military dictator, was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform and Nigerians have largely praised him for his commitment to restoring order and accountability.

The president is divorced from his first wife Safinatu, with whom he had five children. He married Aisha (45) in 1989. They also have five children. – BBC and Reuters