Lauretta Onochie, Special Assistant on Social Media to President Muhammadu Buhari has explained why the President was absent at Saturday’s burial of late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and other military officers killed in a plane crash.
Onochie explained that the president must be given a 48-hour notice before any funeral outside the Presidential Villa.
Attahiru and 10 officers died in a plane crash in Kaduna on Friday last week.
The Army Chief and the other officers were on an official trip to Kaduna when their aircraft crashed at the Kaduna International Airport.
All deceased officers were flown back to Abuja and buried at the military cemetery on Saturday.
However, Buhari and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo were physically absent during the burial ceremony in Abuja.
Their absence threw a lot of criticisms from Nigerians who condemned the decision to shun the burial.
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode had described Buhari and Osinbajo’s absence at the burial of Attahiru and the 10 officers as insensitive.
Reacting to the controversy over Buhari’s absence, Onochie wrote:
“Why Pres@MBuhari did not attend the funeral for our late Chief of Army Staff and the other heroes who died in an aircrash.
”For a Nigerian President to be at any funeral or event outside the Villa, the event must have at least 48 hours,” Onochie tweeted.
