Zahra Buhari’s outrageous wedding gift from her fiancé is the latest misuse of wealth in a failing economy.
Nigerian President’s daughter Zahra Buhari is trending on local news for reportedly receiving 30 custom-made Louis Vuitton bags, filled with luxury items, delivered in 30 luxurious cars, as a pre-wedding gift from the billionaire’s son Ahmed Indimi.
The Louis Vuitton boxes reportedly costing £120,000, contained gifts which cost £3.6m. Using the unofficial exchange rate which regular folks are subject to, the gifts cost two billion Naira. Her husband-to-be, is the marketing director of Oriental Energy Resources, a major oil company in Nigeria.
Am I livid at how this money has been spent? Yes.
This is the latest display of greed and selfishness as Nigeria is plunged into the worst economic crisis it has ever known. WTF?! Doesn’t quite describe the level of insensitivity and callousness of this display of wealth.
About two weeks ago, former Minister Oby Ezekwesili, who has been outspoken about the plight of the masses, led a Twitter engagement where she asked people to send in how they’re changing their routine in the recession. Some of the responses that came in were disheartening.
Considering changing the children's school to save the cost of transportation@obyezeks #MyRecessionAdjustmentIdeas
— Dr. Segun MANUEL | Customer Service Trainer (@segunmanuel) November 21, 2016
I have reduced the hours I run my generator. We can manage without the light sometimes @obyezeks #MyRecessionAdjustmentIdeas
— Dr. Segun MANUEL | Customer Service Trainer (@segunmanuel) November 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/itunu3/status/800969378745487360
A sadder response is that people skip meals or are eating less.
But our leaders continue to bask in the lap of luxury. Three weeks ago, the Nigerian House of Representatives took delivery of 360 cars that cost the country 3.6 billion Naira (£6 million) categorised under ‘utility or committee vehicles’. It was reported that the country cannot pay upfront for the cars and spread payments over two years.
The news of Zahra Buhari’s lavish wedding gift paints a different picture of the modest family life that the President campaigned on. According to Hausa/Fulani tradition, the groom is to present the bride with boxes of gifts. However, the President and the First Lady should have asked their billionaire in-laws to be more sensitive of the times Nigerians have found themselves in.
It seems that was asking too much of our elected public figures. Aisha Buhari rocked a $2,600 Ferragamo coat when she visited Belgium in October. While she looked lovely, this was a show of hypocrisy for the wife of a President who is peddling the ‘Change Begins With Me’ social campaign.
The problem of Nigeria is that people suffer so much that if they get a chance to elevate themselves at the expense of a large number of people, they will. This very behaviour that glamorises an excessive display of wealth only feeds that ‘Oga at the top’ mentality. Our leaders, especially the first family, are responsible for upholding moral values. In this case, it is apparent that they are out of touch with reality.
Let’s stay tuned for part two of how the Nigerian 1 per cent don’t really care if you make it through the recession or not, when/if the wedding goes down. Apparently, it has been postponed because Buhari is unhappy about the gifts and wants a low-key wedding.