Jos killings: Atiku slams Tinubu over airport visit, confinement in Lagos
Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President of Nigeria has slammed President Bola Tinubu over his “airport visit” to condole with the victims of the killings in Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The former vice president in a statement issued on Thursday, April 9, by his aide, Phrank Shaibu, said the increasingly disturbing pattern of absentee leadership exhibited by Tinubu, whose recent conduct in office raises serious questions about his commitment to the responsibilities entrusted to him by the Nigerian people, is concerning.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) leader’s statement is titled, “Presidency in Hiding: Atiku’s Camp Slams Tinubu’s 10-Minute Jos Stop, Lagos Silence Amid Global Alarm on Insecurity”.
Shaibu noted that it is both troubling and unacceptable that, despite embarking on what was officially described as a two-day working visit to Lagos, Tinubu has failed to make meaningful public appearances at several key state functions he was scheduled to attend.
“This follows closely on the heels of his shockingly brief and perfunctory visit to Plateau State, where, in the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack, he spent barely ten minutes at the Jos Airport before departing—an act widely perceived as dismissive of the gravity of the tragedy.
“The justification offered by his media handlers—that he was proceeding to Lagos for official engagements—has now been rendered hollow,” Shaibu said in the statement.
He added that since arriving in Lagos, the president has been completely confined to his private residence, with little to no visible engagement in the very activities meant to validate the so-called working visit.
“Beyond the commissioning of the Iperu Airport in Ogun State—an event that bore more resemblance to a partisan political gathering than a solemn state function—the President has been conspicuously absent from other critical engagements. Notably, he failed to personally attend the commissioning of the much-advertised Opebi–Mende–Ojota Link Bridge and the inauguration of the Multi-Agency Complex, instead delegating these significant national duties to the Senate President, a close political ally.
“At a time when Nigeria is grappling with worsening insecurity, rising terrorist attacks, and growing international concern—including the recent precautionary actions taken by the United States Government regarding its personnel in Nigeria – such indifference at the highest level of leadership is both alarming and indefensible.
“From the fleeting appearance in Jos to the near-invisibility in Lagos, a troubling pattern has emerged: a presidency that appears detached, disengaged, and disturbingly casual about the weighty obligations of governance,” he said.
Also stating that leadership is not a ceremonial privilege but a solemn duty, the ADC leader said the office of the President demands presence, responsiveness, and an unwavering sense of responsibility – qualities that are evidently in short supply in the current administration.
“We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently recalibrate his approach to governance, re-engage fully with the demands of his office, and demonstrate the seriousness of purpose required to confront the daunting challenges facing our nation.
“Anything less would amount to a grave disservice to the Nigerian people,” he added.
