Aisha Buhari Says ‘Other Room’ Joke Misplaced
By Wellington Jopelo
Former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has described the widely publicised “other room” comment made by her late husband, former President Muhammadu Buhari, as humorous but ill-timed, noting that it was delivered on the wrong platform and in an unsuitable setting.
The revelation is contained in a new biography authored by Dr. Charles Omole, titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari. According to the author, Aisha Buhari acknowledged that while the remark was taken lightly within the family, it was inappropriate given the international context in which it was made.
Dr. Omole recounts that the former First Lady admitted they had laughed about the comment privately but agreed that it should never have been aired on such a global stage. “We joked about it,” she was quoted as saying, while conceding that the setting made the remark problematic.
The 600-page biography, spanning 22 chapters, was launched on Monday at the State House in Abuja. It documents Buhari’s life journey from his early years in Daura, Katsina State, through his military and political career, to his final days in a London hospital in mid-July 2025.
The controversial remark dates back to October 2016, during a joint press conference in Berlin, Germany, where Buhari stated that his wife belonged to his kitchen, living room, and “the other room.” The comment was made in the presence of then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the world’s most influential female leaders at the time.
The remark followed Aisha Buhari’s public criticism of her husband’s administration during a BBC Hausa interview. When pressed by journalists about his wife’s comments, Buhari responded with the statement that would later spark widespread backlash and global debate over gender roles and leadership tone.
In the biography, Omole notes that the phrase took on a life of its own, far beyond its original intent. What may have been intended as dry humour, the author observed, failed to translate across cultures and diplomatic boundaries.
Aisha Buhari, Omole writes, understood her husband’s penchant for blunt humour but also recognised the cost of the remark in the international arena. Abroad, she faced pointed questions from colleagues who interpreted the comment as a reflection of policy rather than personality.
Her response, the book notes, was firm and unapologetic. While disagreements existed between them over governance and national direction, there was never any dispute about her place in spaces where decisions were made. “She knew where she stood,” Omole wrote, adding that she simply asserted herself where power resided.