‘Talking to airport’: Outrage as Tinubu limits Plateau condolence visit to airport lounge

Nigerians have criticized President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit the actual sites of the recent Plateau State massacres, instead choosing to address victims and stakeholders from the Yakubu Gowon Airport departure lounge during a brief stopover on his way to Lagos for the Easter holidays.

President Bola Tinubu has faced a wave of public displeasure following his decision to address the people of Plateau State from the departure lounge of the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang, rather than visiting the actual sites of the recent violence. The President arrived on Thursday evening, April 2, 2026, to commiserate with a state reeling from a deadly attack that claimed 28 lives and left 22 others injured. However, his failure to travel the 40-minute distance into Jos, the state capital, to personally assess the situation has sparked accusations of insensitivity. While meeting with a small group of stakeholders and victims at the airport, Tinubu appeared to be in a rush to depart for Lagos for the Easter holidays, citing logistical constraints. “You have no light at the airport, and I have to fly back within the next 10 minutes,” the President stated, adding, “To the victims, there’s nothing I can give you but promise you this experience will not repeat itself.”

The President’s brief appearance ignited a firestorm on social media, with citizens and activists contrasting his current approach with the energetic grassroots outreach seen during the 2023 election cycle. Ridwan Oke, a lawyer and prominent voice on X, argued that the visit was effectively a “waste of everybody’s time,” noting that “The President has no business going to Jos if he was going to turn at the Airport. If it was a campaign, he would enter the nooks and crannies of that state to solicit votes.” Other critics pointed out the optics of requiring grieving relatives to dress up and travel to a secure airport facility to meet their leader, rather than the leader going to the people. “President Tinubu went to Plateau State Airport to talk to Airplanes, when will he visit Jos to talk and commiserate with families and victims of Jos killings?” wrote another user, @Nedumcity_.

The backlash also touched upon the perceived disconnect between the administration’s rhetoric and its actions on the ground. Despite the President’s written promises on digital platforms to stand with the victims, many Nigerians felt the airport-bound visit lacked the necessary emotional and physical presence required for a national tragedy of this scale. Comparisons were also drawn to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who was previously criticized for visiting attack sites in an armored vehicle. As the President began his holiday in Lagos, the sentiment among many Plateau residents remained one of abandonment. One viral tweet from @peace_igho summarized the frustration: “So all the epistle Tinubu wrote on Twitter about going to Jos was to just stop at the airport??”

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