Aisha Buhari: a catalyst?

By Maureen Mennor Nwaezeigwe

A wind of change is blowing in the direction of the Aso Rock Clinic, following the outburst by the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari. Mrs. Buhari's outburst came on the heels of her daughter's criticism on Instagram over the poor management of the Clinic despite a budget of  billions of Naira annually for the provision of drugs to the Clinic.

Mrs.  Buhari who had a nasty personal experience recently when she took ill and wanted to receive treatment in the Clinic against the usual crave and practice by top government officials and their families to jet out of the country for medical services; found to her shock that the Presidential Clinic does not have a functional X-ray machine and does not have a single syringe. One o f her daughters, Zahrah, one week earlier lamented the inability of the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Jalal Arabi's  to ensure the availability of ordinary and common pain killer; Paracetamol in the Presidential Clinic.

Mrs. Buhari who spoke at a stakeholders meeting on Reproductive, Maternal, Nutrition, Child Advocacy, and Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N), at the  State House Abuja, got the attention of members of the House of Representatives who have suddenly sprung into action, by setting up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the condition of the State House Clinic Abuja and the alleged irregular deductions  from the salaries and allowances of the staff.