Why Tinubu only addressed victims of Plateau violence at airport – Presidency

Mr Onanuga was responding to criticisms that have trailed the Nigerian leader's visit to Plateau, during which he only stopped at the airport to address some residents and officials.

President Bola Tinubu only stopped at the airport in Jos to address victims of the Plateau killings because of another meeting on security that went beyond the scheduled time, as well as limited facilities at the airport, a presidential aide has said.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said this in a statement shared on X on Friday.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Onanuga was responding to criticisms that have trailed the Nigerian leader’s visit to Jos, during which he only stopped at the airport to address some residents and officials.

The visit was supposed to offer the president an opportunity to interact with the victims of the Palm Sunday killing in Jos, as well as give him an opportunity to tell residents how he plans to prevent future attacks in the city.

Mr Onanuga said the visit was affected by a scheduled meeting with the President of Chad.

“The President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries. The meeting ran longer than expected, affecting President Tinubu’s scheduled departure for Jos,” he wrote.

He also said the Jos airport had no facilities to allow for night travel, hence the need to leave the state early.

“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,” he wrote.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Tinubu assured his audience that his administration would work to ensure there is no repeat of such violence in a city that has witnessed many such attacks in recent years.

“This will not repeat itself,” Mr Tinubu said while addressing community leaders and residents, acknowledging the pain and loss suffered in the Palm Sunday attack that left 28 people dead and many injured.

Read the full statement by Mr Onanuga below.

STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE

Why President Tinubu addressed the victims of the Plateau attacks at the airport

President Tinubu’s itinerary for Thursday included two main engagements: receiving the Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and proceeding to Iperu, Ogun State. After Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s briefing, President Tinubu suspended the trip to Ogun. Overnight, the Presidential Villa made arrangements for the visit to Jos, with presidential assets quickly deployed. However, the President could not postpone the scheduled visit by the Chadian leader.

The President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries. The meeting ran longer than expected, affecting President Tinubu’s 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.

President Tinubu’s visit to Jos was not merely symbolic. It was a strategic, high-level engagement aimed at bringing all stakeholders together to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity in the state.

He interacted with the victims, consoled them, and listened to them. He also listened to local leaders and assured them that the federal government would deliver justice and end the cycle of violence. He promised the deployment of 5000 AI-enabled cameras to monitor the city and enhance the identification and arrest of troublemakers.

Furthermore, the President invited the community leaders to Abuja for further talks on finding a lasting solution to the recurring violence in the state.

The meeting, televised live, was solemn and reassuring, boosting residents’ confidence. President Tinubu achieved the purpose of his visit, despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it. He dropped an unmistakable message: sustainable peace must be built with the people, not imposed on them.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)