How I s#ffered and became a physiotherapist dealing with my husband’s PTSD after Nigeria’s civil w@r — First Lady, Aisha Buhari

First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has narrated her ordeal living with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, who s#ffered Post Tr@umatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for many years, due to his involvement in Nigeria’s civil w@r, among others.

Speaking at the Armed Forces Post Tr@umatic Stress Disorder Centre (AFPTSDC) on Tuesday, October 2, the 51-year-old recounted how she s#ffered the consequences of PSTD at an early stage 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 the Nigerian Army for 27 years before he was overthrown in a coup d’état. He f@ught civil w@r for 30 months without rehabilitation; he ruled Nigeria for 20 months and was detained for 40 months without disclosing the nature of his offence.

One year after he came out from detention, we were married, I clocked 19 years in his house as his wife, legitimately. I s#ffered 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 right 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 that went to w@r, s#ffered coup d’état, then lost several elections, and, finally, getting to the Villa in the 2015. Also, for a woman to tell them that this is wrong or right in Nigeria and Africa is a problem,” she said.