Home » LATEST NEWS » President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is dead

Musa YaraduaPresident, Umaru Yar’adua, has died after a long illness, an official at his office has said.

He reportedly died on Wednesday evening at the Aso Rock presidential villa in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

However the Nigeria’s information minister says she has not yet verified the report.

Yar’adua returned to Nigeria in February after receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, but had not been seen in public since.

He had been suffering from an inflammation of the lining around the heart and was known also to have problems with his kidneys.

During his absence he failed to formally transfer his powers to his vice president,
Goodluck Jonathan, sparking a constitutional crisis in Nigeria, Africa’s most
populous nation with 150 million people.

Jonathan assumed the presidency on February 9 after a vote by the National Assembly while Yar’adua was still in Saudi Arabia.

However, the assembly left open the possibility for Yar’adua to regain power if he returned to the country in good health.

Yar’Adua took office in 2007 in a country notorious for corruption and was praised by many for being the first leader to publicly declare his personal assets when taking office - setting up a benchmark for comparison later to see if he misappropriated funds.

Al-JAZEERA

RELATED ARTICLE:  Election 2011: Key political risks to watch in Nigeria

Be Sociable, Share!
Tags: ,

5 Responses to “President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is dead”

  1. Obinna Ibole May 5, 2010

    And so it has come to pass that the much wrangle and twist is over. May Mr President find eternal peace in Allah to whom all mortal shall return. My condolence to all Nigerians and to the family in particular.

  2. Name (required) May 6, 2010

    . . . .???

  3. Mfon favour May 6, 2010

    Why did mr president leave all the goodies in nigeria.?will he go to heaven or hell. Or will he be at the bossom of allah….R. I. P