Azikiwe Mourns Yar’Adua

The Owelle of Onitsha, Chukwumah Azikiwe, has described the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua as a painful loss to the country.

Chukwumah, the first son of the late president of the first Republic, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, said in a statement released in Enugu last Saturday that the news of the death Yar’Adua was received with deep shock and sadness.

“It is a very painful death. He was a decent gentleman who believed in the rule of law and a peaceful president.

“May God give Yar’ Adua’s family the fortitude to bear the loss shared by millions of Nigerians,” it said.

The statement urged the Almighty God to grant him eternal rest.

Yar’Adua, Nigeria’s 13th Head of State, died on Wednesday’s night, May 5, after a protracted illness. He was buried on Thursday, May 6, in Katsina.

To honour the late president, the Federal Government declared May 6 as a public holiday and also directed that the flag be flown at half mast for seven days.