Aisha Buhari, the first lady of Nigeria, received loads of criticism after she shared news of Zahra, her daughter-in-law’s graduation on her Facebook page on Tuesday.
Several Nigerians complained about the insensitivity of the country’s political class in the face of the ongoing suspension of university education in Nigeria.
While Aisha’s poorly timed social media celebration of Zahra’s graduation got her hard knocks, she only flaunted another successful case of education tourism, a norm among Nigerian politicians. Here are a few more:
In 2016, Yusuf Buhari and Zahra Buhari, both children of Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria, shared pictures after they graduated from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
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Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria, also revealed that Hasfat Atiku Abubakar, his daughter, graduated from a foreign university in 2016. Abubakar is vying to become President of Nigeria in 2023.
Seyi Tinubu, the son of former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate in the 2023 election, attended the University of Buckingham. He graduated with a bachelor of law degree in 2010.
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Oseloka Obi is one of Peter Obi’s two children. The popular Labour Party presidential candidate’s son attended Bristol University in the UK. Obi has a bachelors of science degree in Philosophy.
Rotimi Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State and former minister of transportation under Buhari, attended his son’s graduation in Canada. Obinna Amaechi graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2019.
Oluwaseni Saraki, the son of former senate president Bukola Saraki, celebrated graduating from the London School of Economics back in 2017.
Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, and his family celebrated Sonia Chinonso Ekweremadu, his daughter, after she graduated from the University of Coventry in 2019. It was months later that doctors discovered Sonia had FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome, a rare kidney disease.
Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of Nigeria, was proud to share his son’s graduation pictures in July 2019. Fiyinfoluwa Osinbajo graduated from Warwick University in the UK. He attended Bensworth Independent College before moving on to Warwick.
In 2015, Rochas Okorocha, former Governor of Imo State, travelled to Manchester with Nneoma Theresa, his wife, to celebrate their son’s graduation from a UK university. Ahamefula Brendan Okorocha bagged a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Manchester with first class honours.
While tertiary education weakens at home, Nigerian public servants enrol their children in universities outside the country, and it shields them from the effects of a collapsing system.
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