Why Tinubu met Plateau elders at Jos airport – Presidency

The Presidency has attributed President Bola Tinubu’s engagement with Plateau elders at the Jos airport on Thursday, to the President’s long engagements with the Chadian leader, Idriss Derby in Abuja earlier and the absence of night flights navigational aids, at the Jos airport.

Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, explained that the visit of the Chadian President, Idriss Déby Itno and long bilateral meeting delayed his departure from Abuja to Jos, the Plateau state capital for the engagement with the victims of the Rukuba attacks and elders of the state.

According to Onanuga, “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.”

He disclosed that the President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries.

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“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 presidency noted that 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.”

The President was accompanied by Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police, who had visited Rukuba, the epicenter 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.”

Presidency noted that” 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.”

President Tinubu 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.

In his response, the President”promised the deployment of 5000 AI-enabled cameras to monitor the city and enhance the identification and arrest of troublemakers.

He also invited the community leaders to Abuja for further talks, aimed at 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.”