Mimiko, monarchs, others wait for hours as unfriendly weather stops Osinbajo from inaugurating the Dome in Akure

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, on Friday in Akure, postponed till Monday, the inauguration of the International Event Centre due to the absence of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
Osinbajo was expected to inaugurate another of Mimiko’s projects, the International Event Centre, also known as the Dome.
A large number of people had converged at the event centre as early as 9 a.m to witness the event.
People from all walks of life, including traditional rulers, political stakeholders and lawmakers, were present at the venue
After waiting for almost five hours, and it became obvious that Osinbajo would not be coming, the crowd thinned out.
At 2:30 p.m, Mimiko mounted the podium and announced the postponement.
He explained that Osinbajo had actually been airborne and he had to return to Abuja due to bad weather.
According to Mimiko, Osinbajo further waited at Abuja Airport between 10 a.m and 2 p.m for the clouds to clear.
The governor described the gesture of the acting president as an act of humility for someone in a very high position.
“He is the vice president and acting president for now, and we can all imagine how tight his schedule will be.
“Therefore, on behalf of your government, I apologise and give you greetings from him.
“He is very touched that he kept people waiting for so long due to no fault of his, but he said it would be unthinkable for him not to find time and come.
“He has, therefore, asked me to postpone the inauguration of this project till 1p.m on Monday,” Mimiko said.
Speaking on behalf of Osinbajo, Mrs Janet Olisa, his Chief Protocol Officer, also apologised on behalf of her principal.
She said the visit would serve a double purpose; a fact-finding mission on issues in the Niger Delta, and to also honour Mimiko for a job well done.
To assure people of the state that Osinbajo would be on ground on Monday for the inauguration, Olisa said that her team would remain in Akure till Monday.
Osinbajo rescheduled the official visit in a statement by Mr Laolu Akande, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.
In a statement in Abuja on Friday, Akande said the trip was cancelled on Friday due to unfriendly weather conditions in Akure and nearby airports.
According to him, the trip has been set-up in continuation of his (Osinbajo) tour of the oil-producing communities.
The acting president had earlier visited Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Imo states.
He said that Osinbajo was already air-borne when weather reports indicated dusty haze and very poor visibility at the Akure Airport and other alternative airports nearby.
“The presidential jet therefore had to return to Abuja following which the weather condition was closely monitored until about 2:30 p.m, when it became abundantly clear that the situation would not change in time for the Acting President to achieve the purposes of the visit.
“The visit has therefore been rescheduled for Monday, February 20, 2017.’’
Akande stated that already the Presidency had extended “apologies to the state governor, the governor-elect, traditional rulers and the generality of the people of the state who had been awaiting the Acting President’s visit’’.