Poor Visibility Disrupts Buhari’s Visit to Bauchi

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, December 29th, 2016

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Muhammadu Buhari’s scheduled visit to Bauchi for the commissioning of Air Force medical facility and other projects by the State government has been disrupted due to poor visibility in Abuja.

The Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Commodore Hassan Abubakar Thursday confirmed that the Presidential Aircraft was in perfect condition, the weather in Bauchi was alright, ‘’but that the problem was in Abuja’’.

President Buhari SSA on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in a statement announced that Mr. President’s visit to Bauchi, December 29 has been postponed arising from the prevailing weather conditions in the country.

‘’Uncooperative weather which has been the bane of air travel in the current harmattan season, leading to the delay and cancellation of flights, reared its head in Abuja Airport this morning, preventing the take-off of the President’s plane for the trip to Bauchi.

‘’Technical information received from the weather station showed that visibility as at this morning was 600 meters, 200 metres short of the 800 metres minimally required for a safe aircraft take-off’’ Shehu said.

He however added that the available information had it that the visibility was expected to drop to 300 metres before improving to permissible limit later in the day.

While regretting the cancellation of the trip, the President in a recorded audio and video message, said he looked forward to the visit in the course of which he was to commission an Air Force medical facility and a number of other projects by the state government, adding that he intended to thank the people for their relentless support in all his political undertakings.

“We make our plans, God makes His own plans,” said the President.

President Buhari thanked the Government and people of Bauchi State and the Nigerian Air Force for the studious and elaborate preparations made to receive him, and assured that he was going to visit the state at a more auspicious time.

In the mean time, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, in his reaction to the development, indicated that the Federal Government was planning to upgrade the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), at the country’s major airports, to ensure that they are working better, with a view to minimizing flight disruptions which features every harmattan season.