Wives of former presidents of African countries have lamented that they suffer systemic neglect, find themselves abandoned, stripped of their resources and dignity and relegated to obscurity after their husbands leave office or pass away.

The ex-presidents’ wives rendered these lamentations when they converged on Conakry, Republic of Guinea, for a conference aimed at having a formidable Former Presidents’ Wives Coalition.

From one former President’s wife to the others who spoke, it was similar tales of struggle and loss that they suffered, attributing it to a systemic issue that required urgent attention.

Championing the cause, Andre Toure, widow of Guinea’s late President Sekou Toure, said the coalition aimed to revive the aspirations of former Presidents’ wives and ensure they do not fade into oblivion after their public service.

“The coalition is to challenge the stigma and neglect faced by former Presidents’ wives, advocating their dignity and respect in society; to create a historical narrative that honours their contributions by establishing a museum dedicated to their lives and legacies, thus ensuring their stories are documented and remembered,” Toure said in a statement made available to The PUNCH.

Toure said the coalition’s vision is shared by former Presidents’ wives, Fatmata Momoh (Sierra Leone); and Isabel Vieira (Guinea-Bissau).

“We are here to combat the unfortunate reality that many former Presidents’ wives face after their husbands leave office.

“These women, who once held esteemed positions, often find themselves abandoned, stripped of their resources and dignity, and relegated to obscurity.

We are united by our shared experiences and our commitment to change this narrative.

“We are not just figures from the past; we have played significant roles in our nation’s histories, and we deserve recognition and respect. But, we are treated with indifference and disrespect after our husbands’ political careers end,” Toure said.

The tales of the struggle and loss of the widow of late President Samuel Kedo were also relayed at the conference.

Though she noted that the coalition’s impact waned over time due to disappointments and lack of sustained commitment from potential allies, she said the former Presidents’ wives were now dedicated to empowering their members and advocating for their rights.

‎‎As part of the efforts, Toure said the coalition would embark on a tour across various African nations, introducing their initiative to other former Presidents’ wives and seeking support from international partners.

‎‎She said, “The coalition’s mission is not only about advocacy; it’s a call for international partners, governments, and civil society to recognise the vital roles these women have played and to support their initiatives aimed at creating a more equitable and dignified existence for former Presidents’ wives across Africa.

“Their journey is a collective effort to reshape the narrative around women in leadership roles and to ensure that the sacrifices and contributions of these women are honoured and preserved for future generations.”

Credit: PUNCH

President Bola Tinubu has said there is no need to probe Nigeria’s Security Chiefs on the prevalent insecurity in Nigeria.

Tinubu made this known in a chat with journalists on Monday night, where he discussed his administration and governance of Nigeria.

When asked if he would be probing security chiefs, Tinubu said he has confidence in what they are doing and will not disrespect the institution with the threat of a probe.

He said, “I’m not probing any service chief. You cannot disrespect the institution because of threat of probe, and you cannot fight this war without investment in technology, in weaponry.

“They are living and operating in a very serious condition. We have huge country, a very huge one, and lots of forests, unoccupied spaces. Give them credit for what they are doing, I am proud of what they are doing today. No need to probe.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu has declared that corruption in all its ramifications, is bad for the people.

Tinubu made the declaration while answering a question during his first presidential media chat about the intention of his administration to fight corruption.

The Nigerian leader said increasing the minimum wage of workers in the country to ₦70,000 is part of the measures adopted to fight corruption in the country.

He stressed the need to identify the root causes of corruption and deal with such causes.

Civil servants under the employment of the Federal Government are facing a low-key Christmas celebrations following the delay in payment of their December 2024 salaries.

The PUNCH also learnt that federal workers suffered delayed salaries in November 2024.

Findings by our correspondents revealed that most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December.

Multiple sources within the civil service told The PUNCH that the fault came from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation while other sources others noted that the delay was as a result of migration to a new payment platform.

Speaking on the delayed salaries, our correspondent, who visited the Federal Secretariat on Tuesday morning, met with a few civil servants who expressed their grievances over the matter.

A civil servant, who spoke under the condition of anonymity out of regard for civil service rules, said, “To be very honest, I am not traveling for the holidays this year because I don’t have the money. Our November salaries came very late and by the time we were paid, a lot of us were already in debt. We felt things would be different this December but the reverse is the case.”

Another civil servant, who also spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, “There is nothing shocking about this new development because our November salaries came late. Some of us prepared ahead, even though it is not enough. The cost of food items have gone up, clothes for my children and all. Payment of the December salaries at the moment will really go a long way.”

An Assistant Director in one of the MDAs outside Abuja, said, “This delay in salary payment is getting too much. It is Christmas and yet some of us can’t even buy meat talk less getting chicken for our family members. The government needs to consider our welfare.”

However, the Federal Government has explained the reasons behind recent delays in salary payments to civil servants, attributing the issue to shortfalls in allocations to some ministries and agencies.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, Mr Bawa Mokwa, confirmed that payments commenced on Monday and that measures had been taken to address the discrepancies.

“They have started paying since yesterday,” Mokwa stated.

He further acknowledged the delays experienced last month, saying, “Last month, you will observe that some people didn’t get their salaries on time. Some ministries were having shortfall. Yesterday, they paid all, and even the ones that had shortfall, they ensured that they were augmented and paid. So, it now depends on the banks.”

Explaining the root of the problem, Mokwa noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage had affected the salary allocations for some ministries.

“When they started paying the new minimum wage, the money assigned for salaries to these ministries was affected by the minimum wage. So, that led to shortfall for the ministries. That is what the government has addressed and augmented for all ministries to ensure that the salary was paid yesterday,” he explained.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, also confirmed during an earlier event that the salaries had been paid.

However, Mokwa added that the timing of the funds reflecting in employees’ accounts would depend on individual banks.

“It varies from bank to bank on how it will drop, but they have been paid,” he said.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the minimum wage for Nigerian workers from N30,000 to N70,000.

Earlier in January this year, the National Assembly reduced the allocation for minimum wage and salary-related payments for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies by 45 per cent in the approved 2024 budget.

President Bola Tinubu initially proposed a budget of N1tn for Public Service Wage Adjustment for MDAS (including Arrears of Promotion and Salary Increases and Payment of Severance benefits and Minimum Wage Related Adjustments).

However, the approved budget by the National Assembly and signed by the president was a significant reduction to N550bn for the same fiscal item, indicating a decrease of N450bn from the proposed amount.

Following the approval of a new minimum wage, the Federal Government said that the N3tn recurrent component of the N6.2tn supplementary budget presented to the National Assembly would largely be used to address the new national minimum wage.

In the proposed 2025 budget, the Federal Government allocated N845.28bn to address minimum wage-related adjustments following the recent increase of the minimum wage to N70,000.

The allocation is part of the Service-Wide Vote detailed in the 2025 budget, which was presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the Federal Government indicated that its spending on personnel costs would increase by at least 60 per cent in 2025.

It said this is due to the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments for all cadres of the federal civil service.

According to the 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, about N4.1tn was budgeted as personnel expenditure in the 2024 budget; hence, a 60 per cent increase means an additional N2.46tn and a total sum of N6.56tn.

The PUNCH also reported that the Federal Government plans to spend N8.52tn (inclusive of government enterprises) on personnel and pension costs for federal workers next year.

An analysis of the 2025 Appropriation Bill showed that this amount is an increase of N3.17tn or 59.16 per cent from the 2024 provision of N5.35tn.

The document also showed that government expenses on the payment of salaries alone would reach N7.54tn, marking an increase of N2.75tn from N4.79tn paid to federal workers in 2024.

The personnel and pension costs of N8.52tn and the debt service cost of N16.33tn make up a total sum of N24.85tn, gulping 53.98 per cent out of the total N46.02tn 2025 budget.

It was also observed that the government would spend more on debt servicing than it would spend on paying the salaries and pensions of its workers.