The Federal Government on Thursday said plans were underway to upgrade
the Instrument Landing Systems at the country’s major airports to ensure that
they are
working better.
This is with a view to minimising the sort of flight disruptions that had
featured every harmattan season in the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement announcing the suspension of
President Muhammadu Buhari’s scheduled one-day working visit to Bauchi State.
Shehu attributed the trip’s postponement to what he called prevailing
weather conditions in the country.
He quoted the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, as
announcing the planned upgrade while reacting to the bad weather that forced
Buhari to postpone the trip.
The presidential spokesman said, “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 (Thursday)
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 (Thursday) morning was 600 meters, 200 metres short of
the 800 metres minimally required for a safe aircraft take-off.
“According to the information available, the visibility was expected to
drop to 300 metres before improving to permissible limit later in the day.
“The commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Commodore Hassan
Abubakar, said that the Presidential Aircraft was in perfect condition, the
weather in Bauchi was alright, but that the problem was in Abuja.”
In cancelling the visit to the state, Shehu said the President expressed
regret over the disruption caused by the bad weather.
He said Buhari, in a recorded audio and video message to the people of
the state 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.
He said he also intended to thank the people for their relentless support
in all his political undertakings.
“We make our plans, God makes His own plans,” the President was quoted as
saying.
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 them that he is going to visit the state at a more auspicious time.
Punch
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