Startling details have emerged from a new book titled “Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023),” authored by Femi Adesina, shedding light on President Muhammadu Buhari’s harrowing encounter with a near-plane crash in November 2015. The book, launched in Abuja on Tuesday, recounts the incident that occurred six months after Buhari assumed office as Nigeria’s president.
According to the revelations, President Buhari’s official jet was en route to the Island of Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting when it encountered severe turbulence, lasting for an extended period. The incident left the president and his aides deeply shaken, prompting Buhari to inquire about the nature of the unsettling landing upon reaching Malta.
The report from the book stated, “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.”
President Buhari, in a state of concern, questioned the pilot with a straightforward query: “What kind of landing is this?” The pilot, acknowledging the gravity of the situation, promptly apologized to the president and the other distressed passengers, revealing that the aircraft had encountered wind shear—a sudden change in the direction of the wind.
The book, particularly Chapter 21 titled “Over 50 foreign trips… and a health scare,” delves into President Buhari’s extensive international travels during his eight-year tenure. It outlines a total of 94 countries officially visited by Buhari, with the peak number of trips recorded in 2016 (19 trips), followed by 18 trips in 2022, 16 in 2015, and 12 in 2018.
The least number of trips, only two, occurred in 2020. The book provides a detailed breakdown of Buhari’s foreign engagements throughout the years, revealing a consistent pattern of diplomatic endeavors. The president made his final official trips in 2023 before retiring to Daura, his hometown in Katsina, on May 29, 2023. The revelations in the book offer a rare glimpse into the challenges and extensive global engagements of Nigeria’s former president during his two terms in office.
