Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has attacked a Daily Trust employee, Bulama Mustapha, over a cartoon on the lavish wedding of her daughter, Hanan.
The elaborate wedding ceremony held last Friday at a time many Nigerians were complaining of hardship as a result of President Muhammadu Buhari government’s harsh economic policies.
On Sunday, Daily Trust published a cartoon showing the President’s wife holding pictures of the wedding on her hands and displaying them in the faces of Nigerians struggling to find their balance in life.
The cartoon drew inspiration from Aisha’s several posts on Instagram where she displayed pictures of Hanan’s wedding.
In reaction to the cartoon, Mrs Buhari said children of Nigerian leaders had the right to get married whether they were performing or not.
Aisha’s spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, told BBC Pidgin that Hanan’s wedding was a low key ceremony.
He said, “The cartoon of Mustapha Bulama trending is very unfair because the wedding wasn’t in anyway insensitive to what Nigerians are going through. In fact, because of that, Mrs Aisha Buhari held a meeting with her staff and told us she wants the wedding to be low key with no massive celebrations.
“The photo she posted of the couple for social media was to thank well wishers and not to rub it on Nigerian faces.”
Supporters of President Buhari had earlier described Daily Trust as toilet paper over the cartoon.
“This has further proved that your publication is toilet paper and should be trashed in the bottom pit of hell. Shame on you,” one of them said.
Another supporter of Buhari, Abdul Ishaka, said, “Dear Daily Trust Toilet Paper, What is really the meaning of this disgusting cartoon? This is pure evil and hate mongering….Aisha Buhari and her family did a very quiet wedding for their kid and you have a place in your dark heart to mock them?”
