Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s condolence visit to Plateau State, alleging that the President never left the confines of the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Jos and that grieving victims were transported to meet him for what he termed a “choreographed spectacle.”
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku expressed deep concern over the handling of the visit, which came in the wake of deadly attacks on Palm Sunday that left dozens of residents dead in the Jos North region.
The former Vice President claimed the President’s “on-the-spot assessment” was reduced to a brief stop at the foot of his aircraft. Atiku alleged that Tinubu neither visited the wounded in hospitals nor the devastated communities, instead holding a meet-and-greet with political allies and traditional rulers far removed from the scenes of the tragedy.
“It is both shocking and deeply insensitive that several days after the gruesome killings of innocent citizens, the President’s so-called ‘on-the-spot assessment’ was reduced to a brief stop at the foot of his aircraft, never extending beyond the airport, never reaching the grieving communities, and never touching the pain of the victims,” the statement read.
Atiku particularly criticized the decision to move survivors and family members to the airport, arguing that it reduced a human tragedy to a public relations exercise.
“Even more disturbing is the government’s decision to transport grieving citizens from distant parts of Jos Municipal to the airport merely to stage an appearance before the President,” Atiku stated. He added that at a time when families are in deep mourning, such actions “prioritise optics over empathy and dignity,” describing the move as “shameful.”
The former Vice President also drew parallels to a June 2025 visit to Benue State, alleging that the President similarly avoided the epicenter of violence in Yelwata, only for the event to devolve into a political rally. “The repetition of this pattern is no longer accidental; it is now a consistent and troubling habit,” Atiku said.
Atiku further alleged that the fleeting nature of the visit was due to the President’s desire to proceed to Lagos for the Easter holidays, describing this as a “troubling prioritisation in the face of national grief.”
He noted that while President Tinubu announced the deployment of surveillance cameras and additional troops, he offered “no concrete policy direction” or “decisive security intervention” to prevent future occurrences during his address at the airport.
“Nigerians are not asking for ceremonial appearances or fleeting sympathy visits. What they demand and deserve is a government that can secure lives and property. They do not need to see the President’s face; they need to feel the impact of his leadership,” Atiku concluded.
President Tinubu had visited Jos earlier on Thursday, reportedly citing a lack of electricity at the airport as a reason for the brevity of the 10-minute stop. While the President promised that the recent violence “will not repeat itself,” opposition figures and civil society have continued to criticize the response as insufficient given the scale of the loss of life.