Did Buhari actually force Adeosun to cover her hair in Qatar? (Photos)

There was an outrage on the social media last week about President Muhammadu Buhari forcing the minister of finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, to cover her hair during a meeting in Qatar.

The pictures that surfaced online showed the minister, with her hair covered, signing a bilateral agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes Income Doha, Qatar.


The perception of many Nigerians who saw the picture was that the president actually mandated the minister to cover her hair, a ‘supposed directive’ which some interpreted to mean that Buhari was on the verge of Islamising the country.

In fact, the Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose, stated emphatically that President Buhari was in the Qatar with the other five governors in a bid to start the processing of Islamising the country, a statement which was corroborated by those who saw the picture.

But, Naij.com has gathered some pictures of prominent people who visited the countries of the Arab world with or without their hairs covered, and seeks to clarify if a visit to Qatar automatically amounts to Islamising the country of origin of the visitor.

President Barrack Obama and his wife, Mitchelle, were sighted in Indonesia with the American First Lady covering her hair. On the contrary, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during her visit to the Emir of Qatar, had her hair opened.

The examples above shows clearly that a visit to Qatar, or other country of the Islamic world, is, as the visitor views it, whether to cover the hair as a sign of respect to the tradition in the Arab nation, or to have their hair opened, as they desire to always do everywhere they travel to. 

Similarly, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, the Liberian president, during a visit to the Qatari Emir, covered her hair, although this is seen as a trademark way of dressing for her. 

But based on the perception about the Nigerian president trying “to Islamise the country” based on this visit, it is worthy to note that every visit to the Arab country does not amount to having ulterior motives.