On Monday, while in the Aso Rock Villa, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State tweeted photos of himself and the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), perusing still images from the Abule Ado explosion. Vexed by the scene, many Nigerians responded that Buhari should have visited the explosion site and not be served photos from a distance.

They are right, of course. Any disaster, natural or man-made, that – as of the time of writing – claimed 20 Nigerian lives, injured many more and destroyed over 100 buildings, deserves to be treated with gravitas.


On this one though, I will cut Buhari some slack for not rushing down to Abule Ado. It is a norm for a leader to visit the Ground Zero of a disaster, but this time, it would not have served any practical purposes for either the victims or rescue operators. Presidential visits, any day in Nigeria, are a nuisance because they involve a considerable logistical arrangement. Lagos would have had to divert resources needed for the victims to prepare for Buhari’s visit and his physical presence would not have made much difference.


This, however, does not absolve him of the leadership responsibility to show up at crucial moments. Even from a distance, he could have displayed genuine concern. In an age where technological devices have collapsed time and space, he could have made a conference call to the victims. He could have sympathised with their situation and explained that he chose not to travel to Abule Ado because he did not want to interfere with rescue operations. He could have sent select officials from his staff whose visit would have been less intrusive in Lagos’ daily gridlock life.


He could also have used the opportunity to inform everyone that he had taken a briefing from Sanwo-Olu on post-disaster efforts and announce plans to support Lagos. He could have shown care and concern for the victims of the Abule Ado tragedy and yes, he could have done all of that from the precinct of Aso Rock Villa.

In the photographs of Buhari skimming the black and white photographs that Sanwo-Olu was showing him, he was immaculately arrayed in white agbada. His spotless appearance seemingly demonstrated that he would not be touched by the many messes of Nigeria’s situation. He could not even bring himself to display sympathy for the victims of the tragedy, while Sanwo-Olu showed him the stills from the disaster.


Nigeria has been in many difficult situations lately and you get the feeling that the country’s administrators are bored with her recurrent problems. From gas explosions, banditry, fundamentalism, communal violence, to diseases, we cannot seem to catch a break and those invested with power to deal with such situations can no longer summon empathy.

ok

I think it's more of 'ineptitude' problem

He lacks the good nature and basic skills to handle, process or relay information. He is an incompetent and insensitive leader to us and most likely an incompetent and insensitive father and husband