The Presidency has adduced reasons why President Bola Tinubu opted to commiserate with victims of violent attacks in Jos at Yakubu Gowon Airport in Plateau state instead of visiting the affected areas.
On Thursday, Tinubu visited Plateau state to commiserate with victims of Sunday evening attack at Angwan Rukuba community in Jos north LGA.
Tinubu met with some stakeholders and victims at the Plateau airport located in Heipang, Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau state, which is some 40 minutes to Jos, the state capital.
The choice of venue by the President elicited criticisms on and off social media as some Nigerians said Tinubu did not show empathy by not visiting the terror-tainted communities.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar described the visit as yet another troubling indication of a pattern of detachment from the suffering of Nigerians, pointing out that the President neither visited the bereaved families nor the injured receiving treatment in hospitals
According to him, Tinubu merely staged a meet-and-greet within the confines of the airport, surrounded by politicians, traditional rulers, and party operatives – far removed from the anguish of the people.
Atiku, in a statement on Thursday signed by Phrank Shaibu, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, said Tinubu’s conduct reduces genuine human tragedy to a choreographed spectacle, stressing that it raises serious questions about the President’s sincerity and capacity to confront the escalating insecurity ravaging the country.
“A leader who cannot stand with his people in their darkest hour cannot convincingly claim to be fighting for their safety,” the statement read, adding that Nigerians “do not need to see the President’s face; they need to feel the impact of his leadership.”
Explaining why the presidential visit took the turn that it did, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said his principal’s scheduled engagements for Thursday were a meeting with Chadian president in Abuja and a travel plan to Iperu in Ogun state.
Onanuga disclosed in a statement issued on Friday that the proposed travel to Ogun state was postponed after Tinubu met with Caleb Mutfwang, governor of Plateau, at the State House.
According to him, Tinubu was unable to postpone the meeting with the Chadian President, which was about “strengthening security collaboration between the two countries”.
The presidential spokesperson said the president’s bilateral meeting with Chadian president “ran longer than expected” which affected the scheduled departure for Jos.
“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids.
“The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk.
“Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions.
“Among the people in the hall were the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police, who had visited Rukuba, the epicentre of the conflict.
“President Tinubu deployed the high-level team to Rukuba, including the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to undertake critical groundwork on security and community engagement, with a view to stabilising the area before his arrival.
“Beyond expressing his condolences to the victims, President Tinubu’s objective was to engage with critical stakeholders in Plateau State on ending the recurring, decades-old conflict that has resulted in needless loss of lives and property.”
Onanuga however insisted that the President’s visit achieved its purpose “despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it.”
