President Muhammadu Buhari has done the best he could for Nigeria, says his wife, Aisha Buhari, though admitting that she is unsure if the ex-dictator has met the “high expectations” of Nigerians in the past seven years.

Asked why she recently apologised to Nigerians on behalf of her husband, Mrs Buhari said she sought Nigerians’ forgiveness because she was not sure Mr Buhari’s regime had met the yearnings of Nigerians.

“The expectations on us were so high, and maybe after seven years, we haven’t met their expectations. Only God knows what is in somebody’s mind,” Mrs Buhari told BBC Pidgin in an interview published on Friday.

The Nigerian first lady added, “As a human being, you can’t say you are right, or you have done what you should, so the government has really tried. The administration did its best, but (it) may not be the best for others. So, we must apologise to Nigerians whether we met their expectations or not.”

In her previous public apology, at a special Juma’at service and public lecture to mark Nigeria’s 62nd independence anniversary, Mrs Buhari had sought the forgiveness of Nigerians over her husband’s failure to develop the economy, having spent almost eight years in office.

The first lady acknowledged that the naira’s helpless fall in her husband’s tenure had subjected many citizens to untold hardship. The policies of Godwin Emefiele, appointed by Mr Buhari to man the Central Bank of Nigeria, had yet to impact the economy positively.

“Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, it is also noticeable that our naira is being evaluated, and the foreign exchange rate has affected our economy, causing a lot of hardship and difficulties in terms of education, health and other day-to-day activities of our citizens,” she had told the gathering.

Mr Buhari and his acolytes have repeatedly described the incumbent president as the best thing that happened to Nigeria since 1999. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo lambasted them and other Nigerians claiming Nigeria is doing well under the APC regime, saying their heads need to be examined.