Adieu Mr. President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (1951 – 2010)

Ailing Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua finally succumbed to the cowardly fangs of death, at about 9.00 O clock last Wednesday night, throwing a little prepared nation into mourning. He died at the age of 58 and was buried in his family compound, Kastina State  yesterday, amidst inconsolable tears, touching tributes and uncommon grief.

A man of rare personal decency, integrity and nationalism, President Yar’Adua died of Cardiac complications after battling pericarditis, a medical condition that causes inflammation of the outer coverings of the human heart.

For the same reason, Yar ‘Adua had been flown to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia, November 23, 2009, the last time he would be seen in public. That situation, without doubt agitated the polity thus resulting to his melo-dramatic return, days after then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan had assumed Presidential powers in Acting capacity.

Interestingly, disturbing signals which largely confirmed the serious nature of his ailment emerged when, upon return from Saudi Arabia, President Yar ‘Adua failed to make public appearances, a situation that encouraged persistent protest by civil society groups, who variously called for his impeachment over reasons bordering on permanent incapacitation.

Even so, recalling his earlier victories over death particularly as Governor and Presidential candidate, many Nigerians did not imagine Yar ‘Adua’s untimely demise. The worst case scenario many contemplated was that their dear President would either recuperate fast and return to his constitutional duties or at worst take a deserved long rest even up to the end of his tenure in 2010, considering the nature of his ailment. But the man died.

Born August 16, 1951 into the aristocratic Yar’Adua dynasty in Kastina State, Late President Yar’Adua was in May 1999 sworn-in as Governor of Kastina during which period, the state formerly adopted Sharia law in 2000.

Curiously, towards the end of that tenure, Yar ‘Adua contested and won the presidential election of April 21, 2007 and was sworn-in President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, amidsts protests by opposition parties that the elections were rigged in his favour.

Strangely,  in demonstration of his rare virtues of personal decency, integrity and true nationalism, Yar ‘Adua publicly accepted that the Presidential election that brought him into power was indeed flawed and promised to not merely form a unity government but to also embark on far-reaching electoral reforms, a projection he could not accomplish before this debilitating medical condition dealt its fatal blow on his fragile health.

It needs to be recalled that as proof of his willingness to fight corruption and restore confidence of the international community in Nigeria, early in his Presidency, Yar ‘Adua removed from office, two close members of his Cabinet accused of corrupt enrichment and moved quickly to publicly declare his assets, the first Nigerian President to do so.

More than anything else, Yar ‘Adua would be remembered for his 7-point agenda which include: Energy sector reform to make Nigeria an industrial nation by 2015; Development agriculture with technology and research, aiming for a five to ten fold increase in production; Expand agriculture and minerals sectors; Improve the rail and road networks, Land reform to release lands for commercial farming and other private sector businesses; Improve security, especially in the Niger Delta, through dialogue between the people and the federal government; and Guarantee acceptable international standards of education for all.

Although verifiable achievements in all these sectors were modest, Yar ‘Adua demonstrated genuine concern towards addressing the vexed Niger Delta question by pronouncing unconditional amnesty for all militants who had carried arms against the Federation in protest against economic marginalization, underdevelopment and exploitation, and went a step further to establish the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry.

These were why many Nigerians believed that President Yar ‘Adua would have performed a lot better if not for his protracted ill health, same reason that continues to spark the near in consolable weeping, wailing and amazingly endless tributes to a good and noble man who refused to be negatively influenced by the spoils of Nigerian public offices.

May Allah grant the Yar’Adua family, particularly his wife, Turai and the ruling PDP, the fortitude to bear the huge loss, and may the departed President enjoy eternal rest in the bosom of his maker. Adieu President Umaru Musa Yar ‘Adua.