Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, has revealed the reason for the absence of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd) at the burial of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru on Saturday.
WUZUPNIGERIA reported that the late CoAS and 10 other officers and crew members lost their lives on Friday evening following a fatal plane crash at the Kaduna International Airport.
The president’s absence at the funeral in Abuja raised questions and condemnations from many Nigerian on social media as they expressed displeasure that the president did not honour the memory of the late CoAS who only held the post for five months after his appointment in January 2021.
However, in an interview on an Arise TV programme on Tuesday, Shehu addressed the issue when quizzed by the interviewer.
He said, “I was in Europe myself on assignment and I have not spoken to the President on this but let me give you just one example: The President is somebody who is so concerned about the safety and wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians on the streets.
“Do you know why he now prays his Jumaat in the State House and doesn’t go to the national mosque? Because he doesn’t like this idea of closing roads, security men molesting people on the road for the President to have the right of way.
“These are small things for many people but they are important for President Muhammadu Buhari. So, it is a mourning situation and the President didn’t want to take away attention from that.”
Meanwhile, Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari; governors and other dignitaries travelled from their states to attend the funeral of Attahiru and the other military personnel.
The PUNCH reported that the President was represented by the Defence Minister, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.).
