The presidency has explained the reasons President Bola Tinubu decided to commiserate with victims of violent attacks 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.
The decision of 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.
Yakubu Gowon Airport is located in Heipang, Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau state, which is about 40 minutes to Jos, the state capital.
In a statement on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Tinubu’s scheduled engagements for Thursday were a meeting with Chadian president in Abuja and a travel plan to Iperu in Ogun state.
Onanuga said the proposed travel to Ogun state was postponed after Tinubu met with Caleb Mutfwang, governor of Plateau, at the State House.
The presidential spokesperson said Tinubu was unable to postpone the meeting with the Chadian President, which was about “strengthening security collaboration between the two countries”.
Onanuga 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,” Onanuga said.
“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 said the president’s visit achieved its purpose “despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it”.
