Aisha Halilu Buhari (; born 17 February 1971) is a professional beauty therapist who served as the

First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current First Lady, first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not creat ...

from 2015 to 2023.

Early life and family

Aisha Halilu was born on 17 February 1971, in

Adamawa State Adamawa is a States of Nigeria, state in the North East (Nigeria), North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Borno State, Borno to the northwest, Gombe State, Gombe to the west, and Taraba State, Taraba to the southwest while its eas ...

, northeastern

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. Her grandfather Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu was Nigeria's first minister of defence. Aisha's father was a civil engineer, and her mother is a descendant of the Ankali family, renowned farmers. Aisha Buhari went to primary and secondary school in

. On 2 December 1989, Aisha married

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

, who had five children from a previous marriage to Safinatu Yusuf. Aisha and Muhammadu Buhari have five children together and one grandchild.

Education

Aisha Buhari holds a

Bachelor of Arts degree A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in public administration from

Ambrose Alli University Ambrose Alli University (AAU) is a state-owned university in Edo State, Nigeria. It was established in 1981 by the governor of Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States), Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Initially known as Bendel State University, subs ...

(AAU), and a master's degree in international affairs and strategic studies from the

Nigerian Defence Academy The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is a military university based in Kaduna, Nigeria, that trains officer cadets for commissioning into one of the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. The duration ...

, Kaduna. Aisha Buhari obtained a diploma in beauty therapy from the Carlton Institute of Beauty Therapy, Windsor,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Aisha Buhari holds a post-graduate diploma in cosmetology and beauty from Academy Esthetique Beauty Institute of France. Aisha Buhari is a member of the United Kingdom Vocational Training and Charitable Trust and the International Health and Beauty Council.

Business career

For years, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has run a successful business as the founder/managing director of Hanzy Spa and principal of Hanzy Beauty Institute, a beauty salon in Kaduna and

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

. Aisha Buhari is a resource person to the National Basic Technical Education (NBTE), on beauty therapy and cosmetology and has participated in the curriculum development of small medium enterprises for NBTE. Aisha Buhari closed her beauty salon following the emergence of her husband as president of Nigeria. Aisha published a book titled ''Essentials of Beauty Therapy: A Complete Guide for Beauty Specialists'', which has been recommended as a text for the NBTE curriculum.

Political career and advocacy

In July 2014, Aisha advised

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and w ...

to resign from office as president of Nigeria, following a suicide bombing and an alleged assassination attempt on her husband by the

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (), is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group spli ...

terrorist group. Aisha Buhari is a vocal advocate of women's rights and children's rights, and this was a focal point during her campaign for her husband's election in 2015. Aisha has, on several occasions, emphasized the need for young girls to get primary and secondary school education before getting married, saying that she believes no girl should get married before the age of 17. She has also criticized

child marriage Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.* * * * Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative co ...

and homosexuality. In May 2015, on the sidelines of the Global Women Conference held in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, she stressed the need for

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

laws that will protect the women from forced early marriages, sex trafficking and other issues Nigerian girls and women contend with. Aisha raised concerns on child sexual abuse in Nigeria, sex trafficking and the need for legislation against early marriage. On 12 June 2015, Aisha Buhari met with some mothers of the abducted Chibok Girls on 14 April 2016, and donated proceeds from her book to parents of the

Chibok Chibok is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria, located in the southern part of the state. It has its headquarters in the town of Chibok. Landscape It has an area of 1,350 km² Population It has a population of 66,105 at the 2 ...

girls, the

Buni Yadi Buni Yadi is a small town in Yobe State, Nigeria, about 55 km from Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State. References

Populated places in Yobe State {{Yobe-geo-stub ...

boys murdered in 2014, and children suffering from malnutrition. In October 2016, Aisha Buhari said that she would not back her husband in the next election unless he got a grip on his government. He responded that she belonged in his kitchen, saying "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room." In April 2021, she attended the book of "Aisha Buhari – Being Different", written by Hajo Sani, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Women Affairs and Administration. The book has memories of the first lady from her childhood on. The launch was attended by vice president Yemi Osinbajo and other dignitaries.

Future Assured

"Future Assured" is an initiative founded by Aisha Buhari to continue her advocacy work for the health and well-being of women and children through community mobilization and goodhealth promotion. Aisha was prompted by the need to improve the current poor health outcomes of women, children and other vulnerable groups of the Nigerian population. She affirmed her commitment to this work at a stakeholders meeting held at the presidential villa and a public launch of Future Assured programs at the sidelines of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

General Assembly in New York on 29 September 2015. Aisha Buhari works with

internally displaced people An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. I ...

resulting from the

insurgency. She set up a committee for the distribution of relief materials after a visit to an IDP camp in

Borno State Borno is a States of Nigeria, state in the North East (Nigeria), North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe State, Yobe to the west, Gombe State, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa State, Adamawa to the south while its ea ...

Aisha Buhari Cup

The

Aisha Buhari Cup Aisha Buhari Invitational tournament is a football tournament organized by the Nigeria Football Federation for the female national team. History The Inaugural edition was held in Lagos with both FIFA and CAF president honoring the event The Sout ...

is an invitational football tournament organized by the Nigerian football federation for the women's national team.

Public image

Aisha Buhari surprised

Nigerians Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

when she made it known that her role as the wife of the president of

will be limited to whatever is constitutionally recognized, and she promised not to overstep. At the presentation of awards to wives of governors, on Thursday, 13 June 2019, Aisha Buhari adopted the title of first lady five years after President

Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerians, Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to ...

said he would scrap the office.

Controversies

In October 2019, Fatima Daura, the daughter of the newspaper editor Mamman Daura, accused Aisha of verbally abusing her and attacking her family. Fatima recorded a video of Aisha ranting inside the presidential villa in

and submitted the video to the press. Fatima Daura said she recorded the video because no one would have believed her if she made those claims without evidence. Aisha Buhari confirmed she was the one in the video and alleged that Fatima Daura had mocked her while recording her. Aisha later apologized in a statement through her spokesman. She explained that she was angry because Mamman Daura and his family denied her access to some parts of the presidential

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

after President Buhari ordered Mamman Daura and his family out of the villa. In the early months of 2022,

university student Aminu Adamu Mohammed posted on the social media platform Twitter, mentioning Aisha in a tweet in what can be interpreted as a defamatory manner. There were mixed reports from media outlets reporting that Aminu had commented under a photo that Aisha was simply fat in appearance. But roughly translated into English from a court transcription of the ''Hausa'' phrase Aminu tweeted, "''Mama'' is feeding fat on poor people's money.", implying that Aisha has been embezzling government funds. Aminu was formally charged and arrested 5 months later in mid-November 2022. The charges included cybercrime, cybersquatting, computer-related forgery, conspiracy, and criminal breach of trust. This has led to many activist groups, Amnesty International, the National Association of

students, and citizens calling out the

government to release Aminu due to the violation of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

regarding free speech and the reported torture Aminu endured during his time in captivity. After national and international backlash regarding the incident, on 2 December 2022 all charges were dropped after the withdrawal of the initial complaint from Aisha.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buhari, Aisha 1971 births Living people Nigerian Fula people Nigerian Muslims People from Adamawa State First ladies of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari Ahmadu Bello University alumni Nigerian Defence Academy alumni Nigerian cosmetics businesspeople Nigerian women in business Nigerian women's rights activists Sexual abuse victim advocates Ribadu family Nigerian women activists 21st-century Nigerian women Ambrose Alli University alumni Nigerian activists