President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife Aisha has spoken out about her husband’s struggles with PTSD following the trauma of the civil war, his imprisonment, and his political defeats.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Buhari shared these plans as a guest of honor at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Armed Forces Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Centre, an initiative of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association, which is directed by Mrs. Lucky Irabor.
She expressed gratitude to DEPOWA for their “forward-thinking vision” in establishing a PTSD Centre for the armed forces. Yes, scary experiences can lead to the mental health condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It’s unfortunate, but it’s a fact of life for service members and their families. Because of my background as a wellness expert and as the spouse of a current or former service member, I have a deep appreciation for the struggles faced by military families and the toll that PTSD has on a country.
My spouse was in the Nigerian Army for 27 years before he was deposed in a coup.
It has been said of him that “he fought civil war for 30 months without rehabilitation; he controlled Nigeria for 20 months without disclosing the nature of his offence, and he was incarcerated for 40 months without disclosing the nature of his offence.”
