Aisha Buhari’s Dinner for Social Media Influencers Causes Stir

For hosting a group described as Social Media Change Agents to a dinner at the State House, Abuja last Tuesday, Dec 22, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, has put her name and the Aso Rock on Twitter trending list.

According to her critics, the dinner was a lavish banquet and unnecessary.

Aisha Buhari as well as the Aso Rock went viral on Wednesday, as some online activists moved against the first lady. In fact, critics added that her decision to host the social media stars was the
height of insensitivity.


Social media followers say this is the first time Aisha will face this sort of online backlash since her husband assumed reins of power on May 29. She had earlier received online bashing for wearing a wristwatch reportedly valued at $34,500 to the May 29, 2015 inauguration. That, however, was during the transition from the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Her critics then had accused her of acting contrary to her husband’s promise of prudency, especially when they assessed the value of her accessory posted on the Internet.

But on Wednesday, the President’s wife was caught in a similar web of criticism when some of her critics said she was ill-advised on the consequences of hosting an expensive party at a time the country was facing a financial crisis.

Tweeting on the dinner, here are one Uche Samuel said Aisha was guilty of the frivolity the former first ladies, including Patience Jonathan, were associated with.

“If it was Mrs. Jonathan that hosted such a dinner at this critical time, the likes of Japheth Omojuwa would have ‘ripped’ Twitter apart. But Buhari’s wife has hosted a dinner that adds no value to the lives of common Nigerians in the State House while they do not see anything wrong with it,” he said.

Also commenting via @jenslaw, another tweeter said the money spent on the dinner would have been more meaningful had she channelled it to the development of small-scale businesses.

“Tomorrow, the so-called social media change agents will come here to rant on how the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has ‘eaten our yams’. They should not forget that there is no difference between what Dasuki is accused of and what they went to the Aso Rock to do,” the concerned tweeter said.

“Instead of the Federal Government channelling its energy to initiatives that will grow small businesses, it is wasting its time on frivolous dinners.

“What value is the so-called social media change agents adding to national development? How many entrepreneurs have the current administration hosted since coming to power on May 29? Why should it start with least-relevant groups?” asked another commenter.

A section of the social media also condemned youths who attended the dinner. They accused them of selective criticisms, saying that they were worse than those currently in government in the country.