Open Letter To The First Lady, Dame
Patience Faka Jonathan, By Inibehe Effiong


Dear Dame Patience Faka Jonathan,
I hope all is well with you and your family?
Let me begin by apologising for conveying
this message to you through this medium. If
it were possible, I would have preferred to
converse with you directly to obviate the
public backlash that may likely be
occasioned by this open letter.
However, I just had to perish the thought of
communicating my concerns to you ‘one on
one’ owing to the unbeatable protocol
associated with you and the countless
combat ready armed security officers that
follow you all the time except maybe when
you are passing feces or attending to your
conjugal obligations. That is if you still have
time for that given your deep involvement in
state affairs. Let me also apologise for the
frequent use of the pronoun ‘I’ in this letter.
It is not indicative of ego or self –
glorification but unavoidable in view of the
very nature of this piece.
Madam, be rest assured that before writing
this long innocuous letter, I had
dispassionately ruminated over the possible
consequences of an ‘ordinary’ citizen like me
engaging the most ‘vociferous’, powerful and
dreaded woman of the most populous black
nation on earth. I equally adverted my mind
to the fact that you are not only a married
woman but the wife of the President and
Commander – In – Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I
did that because in my culture, it is not
permissible to express perceivable insolence
towards a married woman.
Let me quickly state that this cultural
immunity is not rigid. The immunity is liable
to be disregarded, taken away or waived.
When a married woman exudes total
contempt for acceptable cultural, moral,
ethical and legal prescriptions and standards
without reference and regard to her marital
status she is deemed to have waived this
immunity and will be treated like any other
person. Madam, as someone who aspires to
be with God in Heaven on the last day, can
you honestly say that your public conduct
and utterances entitles you to this cultural
marital respect and immunity?.
Just in case you are oblivious of the non –
recognition of the office of the First Lady by
the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria (as amended) and by any other
law in Nigeria, may I humbly put you on
notice that a ‘First Lady’ whether of Nigeria
or of a state of the federation is and remains
and unconstitutional being. It is a creation of
the society and the political class not law.
Being the wife of the president or governor
does not make one a public officer; it does
not confer any legally cognisable privilege or
right. You were quoted by a section of the
media sometime ago while deprecating your
state governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi for
demolishing waterfront settlements in Port
Harcourt as saying that you are “the highest
political office holder from Rivers State”. If
indeed you said so, then something is
wrong. If you doubt my submission, please
consult your lawyer for legal advice.
Whatever respect and recognition is
accorded you and wives of governors by
other citizens of this country is purely out of
courtesy. It is not because they stand to lose
anything if they don’t respect you. It does
not also imply that they regard you as
anything more than what you are; a woman
that happens to be the wife of the president.
Recall that Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole
Soyinka had admonished you in the past to
first be a lady before being a “first lady”. He
also described you as a “mere domestic
appendage “. Mr. Soyinka actually spoke the
minds of millions of Nigerians especially we
the “collective children of anger”.
Madam, in the past few days, you’ve been
polluting the already murky waters of our
politics with inciting, reprehensible and
nauseating utterances targeted at an
individual that has not offended you in any
way; an individual whose only
‘transgression’ is his patriotic aspiration to
rescue our nation from the very agonising
precipice that your beloved husband has
taken it to. This man to the best of my
knowledge has never said anything offensive
about you. His wife, has never disparage
your darling husband.
During one of your recent needless
campaign tour(s), you reportedly described
the presidential candidate of the opposition
All Progressives Congress ( APC ), General
Muhammadu Buhari as “brain dead”. An
unfortunate outburst that has been upheld
and reiterated by the spokesperson of your
husband’s second term campaign
organization, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode who is
presently standing trial on corruption
charges. Haba Madam! Is it not you that is
called ‘Mama Peace’? Are you no longer the
founder and president of the African First
Ladies Peace Mission?. So why instigate
violence and rancour? Why are you making
statements that are capable of derailing our
electoral process?
It is widely reported in the media that you
are at war with the governor of your
husband’s home state, Bayelsa, Mr. Seriake
Dickson. We understand this cold war has
adversely affected the electoral fortunes of
your husband in the state and there appears
to be no sign of resolution at the moment.
Cases of political rivalry abound in other
parts of the country because of your
meddlesome and autocratic actions in the
politics and affairs of this country.
Please do not get me wrong, it is not my
wish that you or the future wives of
presidents and governors of this country be
confined to the kitchen. Indeed, I am an
advocate of women emancipation. I don’t
subscribe to any kind of gender
discrimination because we are all children of
God with fundamental right under
Constitution. I believe that women have
equal leadership capabilities with men and
should not be relegated in politics.
However, in saner climes, first ladies only
play ceremonial roles. They don’t arrogate
governmental powers to themselves to the
detriment of their country. So why is your
case different? Is it because your husband
has contributed in making Nigeria a lawless
nation where anything goes? Or could it
possibly be because one dishonourable
member of the Rivers State House of
Assembly referred to you as his “jesus
christ”?
Dear first lady, you are not the first woman
on planet earth whose husband is privileged
to be the president of a country. Others were
before you, and many will be after you. So
there is nothing peculiar or spiritual in being
the wife of the president of a country. I am
emphasising this point because it’s time you
stop tormenting the soul of this country. It’s
time you retrace your steps and retreat from
your inglorious war of attrition and
campaign of calumny against weak and
innocent people. Why should Lagos, Rivers
and other states be shut down because of
your visits? Why should innocent citizens be
subjected to untold hardship because of
your movement(s )?.
God forbid that I should willfully set out to
crucify or denigrate you. If not for anything,
you are old enough to be my mother. But I
cannot imagine a woman that gave birth to
me recklessly exercising totalitarian,
absolute and arbitrary powers at the peril of
innocent people simply because her
husband is the president of the country. No
self – respecting woman will act and talk in
a manner capable of portraying her husband
as weak and irresponsible.
There is a school of thought that postulates
that the wife of a president is the ‘mother’ of
the nation. Supposing that postulation is
plausible and tenable, then you’re the
mother of Nigeria. If that is the case, please
treat other citizens as your children. When a
child is hungry ( as Nigerians are ) it is the
duty of a responsible mother to give them
food not sorrow, tears and stones. Please, I
urge you in the name of whatever you
venerate to treat and address people with
respect and dignity so that they can
reciprocate same.
Always be mindful of the fact that Nigeria is
greater than the first family. It is greater
than Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Without
Nigeria, there will be no country for your
husband to lead. And without your husband
you will not be the wife of the president.
Also, please take out time to appease those
you have wrongly hurt these past years
because your days in Aso Rock are
numbered. Nigerians are tired of the lies,
excuses and failings of your husband.
Nigerians are not prepared to tolerate
another four years of the locust. In 2011,
your husband told us the story of his
humble and undignified childhood; that he
had no shoes. We were seduced, we voted
for him in the hope that he will appreciate
the historical significance of his election.
Instead of paying us back with responsible
and God fearing leadership, he took away
our tattered slippers and gave it to the dogs.
Now again, he thinks his ethnic, religious
and hypocritical messages will secure him a
second term.
Chai, there is God ooo!
Inibehe Effiong is a Human Rights Activist
and Convener of the Coalition of Human
Rights Defenders ( COHRD ).


http://www.africanexaminer.com/open-letter-to-the-first-lady-dame-patience-faka-jonathan-by-inibehe-effiong/

Of a truth,Mama Peace has done more damage to d
electoral fortune of Jonathan. We have Neva had a
first lady who is power drunk,self conceited lyk her
b4. Jonah z just unfortunate 2 have bad advisers
coupled wt a crude first lady....I will surely miss her
wen finally she relocate bck to otuoke on may
29,2015....chai!!...dia z God will forever remain in
our memory
GOD BLESS AISHA BUHARI
GOD BLESS GMB/PYO
GOD BLESS NIGERIA