Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s plane nearly crashed with him and his aides in November 2015, six months after being sworn in as Nigeria’s president, a new book released in Abuja on Tuesday, has revealed.
In the book ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023)’, written by Femi Adesina, Buhari is said to have been travelling to the Island of Malta to attend a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government when the plane ran into frightful turbulence that persisted for a long time.
The report said the turbulence was so severe that when the plane eventually landed in Malta, a deeply terrified President Buhari queried the pilot: “What kind of landing is this?” and the pilot had to tender an apology to the President and the other troubled passengers.
The report said: “A presidential jet is not immune from bad weather and the accompanying turbulence (many hours of that we experienced). Neither is it spared from what aviators call wind shear (a sudden change in the direction of the wind). We had a frightful experience).
“In November 2015, we had travelled to Malta to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and it was an uneventful flight till the flight crew announced that we should get ready for landing.
“Few seconds from touching the tarmac, the Boeing 737 business jet got buffeted from all sides and began to sway dangerously. On touching down, it pirouetted and gyrated like a drunken sailor; and was almost turning over.
“What kind of landing is this?”, Buhari is reported to have queried the frightened pilot, who immediately apologized to the then president.
“We have just experienced what is called wind shear, a sudden change in the direction of wind. Apologies Mr. President, and distinguished passengers,” the scared pilot replied Buhari on touching down safely.
In Chapter 21 of the new book with the caption: “Over 50 foreign trips… and a health scare”, the book lists 94 countries which Buhari visited officially during his eight-year tenure with the highest being 19 trips in 2016, 18 in 2022, 16 in 2015 and 12 in 2018.
