Various groups at the airport in Abuja ... on Wednesday.
| credits: Adelani Adepegba.
| credits: Adelani Adepegba.
Life
of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Wednesday arrived the
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to the warm welcome of a
large crowd, many of whom had waited under the scorching sun for over
three hours.
It was like a carnival of sorts as women in different
uniforms and cultural troupes stormed the airport to celebrate the
arrival of the First Lady. Some wore T-shirts with her embossed picture
while others carried banners with various inscriptions welcoming “the
mother of the nation.”
Food and drinks were also available and many were
seen in queues with plates angling to have lunch while they waited for
the president’s wife.
As men, women and youths who had left their shops,
stalls and other means of livelihood stood under every available shade,
itinerant musicians made money singing the praises of those they singled
out for attention.
The crowd which had waited expectantly to see the
First Lady were initially disappointed when a presidential plane taxied
and parked close to the hanger.
But after waiting for about 10 minutes without seeing
anyone disembark from the aircraft, the people who had gathered looked
away in disappointment.
The Nigerian Air Force plane with registration number
5N FGW that brought the First Lady later landed at exactly 3.45pm and
taxied to the Presidential wing where market women, politicians,
cultural troupes, dignitaries including the Minister of State for FCT,
Olajumoke Akinjide, waited anxiously.
Patience, who had been away at a German Hospital
where she was treated for an undisclosed ailment, for some weeks looked
vivacious and she seemed to be pleased with the huge turnout of people.
Dressed in a multicoloured gown, Patience came out of
the plane waving to the crowd and spent some minutes watching the
cultural performances by a troupe and greeting members of the audience
on the tarmac.
Almost everyone wanted to access the tarmac to see the First Lady, but the security agents firmly prevented access to the area.
The ecstatic crowd got their wish as she stepped out
of her car to waive to her well-wishers. Gun-totting security personnel
quickly formed a cordon around her.
Our correspondents reported that the security at the
presidential wing was quite tight in view of the large number of people
that came in buses and cars to welcome the First Lady.
Some of the people told PUNCH Metro that
they were invited by government officials, while a large percentage of
the women were members of market associations, cultural groups and
politicians.
A member of Garki Market Association, who identified
herself as Janet, explained that she attended the reception because she
was directed by the leadership of the market.
The lady, who was dressed in white lace and green
head tie like the rest of the market women association members, added
that she was very tired after standing for over an hour because there
were no seats.
“I was so hungry that I had to beg for meat pie.
Imagine me begging for meat pie. Ordinarily, I won’t have come to this
kind of programme, but I have no choice because I have not been
attending previous programmes by the market association and I was
beginning to look like the black sheep; I’m sure my husband will deride
me if I tell him all I suffered today,” she said.
A middle-aged woman was heard lamenting her plight,
saying she had stood under the sun for over three hours, having arrived
the airport a little after 9am.
“I arrived the airport since 9 in the morning and now
I’m so tired and my temperature is rising seriously,” she said in Igbo
language.
source: punch
