The Presidency on Sunday assured that President Muhammadu Buhari still has plans to visit Zamfara, reiterating that the earlier scheduled visit was only postponed.
The presidency in a statement signed by the senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, berated critics of President Buhari over the aborted trip, adding that it would have been unwise for the President to embark on the trip by road, without adequate security arrangements.
“All over the world, commanders-in-chief, serving or even those that have left office cannot hop into a car and go anywhere they want, at any time of the day.
The President who was scheduled to visit Zamfara last Thursday, after the commission of BUA Cement’s 4th production line in Sokoto, shelved the trip, citing bad weather which forced the cancellation of the visit, in spite of the interest generated nationwide on the planned visit.
The President went ahead to give a special broadcast to the people of the state, apologising for aborting the trip due to the sudden deterioration of the weather.
Shehu assured, however, that “as he promised in that broadcast, the visit to Gusau by the President is only a matter of time.
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“Given the right conditions of the weather and all other things, he will return, and in time to accomplish his mission”
He explained that “It is not unusual for flights to get cancelled when there is bad weather, whether this is arising from wind or rainstorm, fog or haze as we had it on Thursday over much of the northern towns including Gusau, capital of Zamfara State.
“Many of these cities are known to suffer from low visibility during the harmattan season as we are now in.
“A kilometre of visibility is usually a standard landing minimum requirement but in the case of Gusau on the day in question, this minimum requirement of 1,000 metres was down, fluctuating between 300-400 metres.
“Clearly, this was unsafe in the absence of precise instrument approaches that provide guidance for the pilots. The flights into Gusau were, in view of this, cancelled.
On the criticism that trailed the President’s action, particularly the one by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), the President’s spokesman berated the party for blaming Buhari “for not proceeding with the journey, Sokoto-Gusau by road, a distance of about 200 kilometres”
The Presidency noted that “it is either a lack of understanding of presidential movements especially for a party that held that office for sixteen years, or an act that smacks of mischief. Whatever be the case, there must be a limit to trivialisation”
Presidency while citing situations in other countries, especially the United States for instance, noted that “a law going as far back as 1958 prevents past residents from traveling on public roads without assured security (how much more of serving presidents)”
“When roads are closed for presidential movements here and elsewhere, consideration is also given to the safety of other road users, not just that of the president or even governor.
“The statement on the issue by the PDP attacking the President for not making it to Gusau without this being planned ahead of the journey is shameful and disgraceful for a party that held the presidency of the country in the past.
