Why I became a Physiotherapist as a 19-year-old bride to be able to deal with Buhari – First Lady, Aisha

First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has narrated her ordeal living with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the wives’ account, the latter suffered from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for many years due to his involvement in Nigeria’s civil war.

Speaking at the Armed Forces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Centre (AFPTSDC) on Tuesday, October 2, the 51-year-old recounted how she suffered the consequences of PSTD early in her marriage to Buhari.

“It is a reality that soldiers and military families have to live with, despite its negative consequences. Being a soldier’s wife or a retired soldier’s wife and a wellness expert, I understand the challenges associated with PTSD and its impact on military families and the nation.

My husband served in the Nigerian Army for 27 years before he was overthrown in a coup d’état. He fought the civil war for 30 months without rehabilitation; he ruled Nigeria for 20 months and was detained for 40 months without disclosing the nature of his offence.

“We were married one year after he came out from detention; I clocked 19 years in his house as his wife, legitimately. I suffered the consequences of PTSD because having gone through all these, and at the age of 19, to handle Somebody who was a former Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, to tell him that he is wrong is the first mistake you will make.”

“So, at the age of 19, I had to figure out how to tell Somebody of his calibre that he was wrong or correct, and that was the beginning of my offence in his house, and contesting elections in 2003 and failed, 2007, failed and 2011, the same thing – all without rehabilitation – I became a physiotherapist.”

“You can imagine me, at 19 years, handling somebody who went to war, suffered a coup d’état, then lost several elections, and finally got to the Villa in 2015. Also, for a woman to tell them that this is wrong or right in Nigeria and Africa is a problem,” she said.