The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for addressing families of victims at the airport in Jos, Plateau State, following his visit on Thursday.
ThelensNG reports that gunmen attacked Angwan Rukuba on Sunday, resulting in several deaths and leaving many others injured.
While faulting the President’s airport-only address, Obi recalled that during Tinubu’s visit to Benue State in June 2025, he stopped at the Government House but did not visit the actual scene where innocent Nigerians lost their lives.
“Similarly, yesterday in Jos, his engagement ended at the airport instead of at the affected communities. What happened in Plateau yesterday highlights a complete absence of leadership.
“True leadership requires presence, empathy, compassion, and a willingness to meet people where their pain truly lies. For citizens who have just lost loved ones, homes, and their sense of safety, being addressed from an airport tarmac is profoundly inadequate,” he said.
Obi lamented that the approach exacerbates the sense of abandonment already felt by Nigerians who have endured repeated cycles of violence without meaningful protection or justice.
“Plateau deserves more than distant words; it requires urgent action and a clear commitment to ending the insecurity that continues to claim innocent lives,” he stated, stressing that in such moments, leadership must not only be visible but also tangible — standing with victims, listening to survivors, and acknowledging the depth of their grief.
Obi also argued that if Nigeria is to improve, citizens must demand leadership that is present, responsive, and responsible at all times.
However, in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency explained why Tinubu addressed victims of the Plateau attack at the airport.
According to Onanuga, the President’s itinerary for Thursday included two major 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,” he said.
Onanuga explained that upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered logistical challenges, noting that while the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to a lack 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,” he added.
The presidential aide emphasised that a high-level team had earlier been deployed to Rukuba, including the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to carry out critical groundwork on security and community engagement ahead of the President’s visit.
Onanuga mentioned that Tinubu not only condoled with victims but also engaged key stakeholders in Plateau State on ending the recurring, decades-long conflict that has resulted in the loss of lives and property. “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 said that the visit was not merely symbolic but a strategic engagement aimed at addressing the root causes of insecurity in the state.
President Tinubu equally promised the deployment of 5,000 AI-enabled cameras to enhance surveillance, improve security monitoring, and aid in identifying and apprehending perpetrators.
He further invited community leaders to Abuja for comprehensive discussions on finding a lasting solution to the recurring violence in the state.
