The Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, witnessed a mild drama on Friday, as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, darted after the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, in a bid to catch up to him. Buhari and Diezani coincidentally boarded the same flight to London on Friday.
According to reports, the minister raced in a bid to catch up with Buhari, who had undergone airport screening before her. When Diezani arrived the airport and was informed that Buhari had already boarded the flight, she hastily ran to ensure that she entered the plane. Acording to reports and various sources, Diezani left her aides behind while running to catch up with Buhari.
A source said, “Buhari was at the front and had already passed the screening team. And immediately the woman (Diezani) came down, it was as if they told her that the President-elect was already inside the aircraft, so she started running. She even left her people behind so that she could board the flight along with the President-elect.
The incident happened between 4am and 5am on Friday morning at the British Airways. The flight was on its way from Abuja international airport to Heathrow Airport, London. However, according to Sahara Reporters, the efforts of the minister, during the six-hour flight, to speak with Buhari failed. “The President-elect only greeted Alison-Madueke during the boarding process,” Sahara Reporters said. The report elaborated that Diezani allegedly tried many times to stir a conversation with Buhari, but he shunned her.
Buhari’s media team issued a statement saying his visit to Britain was private. The statement signed by the head of Buhari’s media team, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday, partly read, “General Muhammadu Buhari will use the opportunity of the visit to take a much-deserved rest ahead of his inauguration on May 29.
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