By Muhammad Aliyu Mustapha
It is recalled that late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua died on 5th May 2010 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja after a protracted illness. This week is therefore dedicated to his remembrance through prayers, lectures and tributes. Against this backdrop, I undertake to write a glowing tributes in honour of the departed leader, highlighting some of his achievements as a leader and politician. The essence is for present day political leaders to take a cue from the late president’s good examples
Prior to his election as Nigeria’s President in 2007, late Umaru Musa Yar’adua had contested for the governorship seat of Katsina state, northwestern Nigeria; the first being in 1991, under the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP but lost to NRC’s Saidu Barda. The second time late Yar’adua made a shot at Katsina state exalted political position was in 1999, when the military government of General Abdussalami Abubakar returned the country to democratic rule. This time around, late Yar’adua won the election, becoming the second democratically-elected governor of Katsina state.
In his early days in politics, late president Umaru Yar’adua was one of the foundation members of the Peoples Front of Nigeria, a political association under the leadership of his elder brother, late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. That association later formed the Social Democratic Party (SDP), during the transition programme of General Ibrahim Babangida to the Third Republic. He also became a member of the 1988 Constituent Assembly. When SDP was registered, late Yar’adua was a member of its National Caucus and the party’s State Secretary in Katsina.
His tenure as governor of his home state, witnessed a lot of giant strides in various sectors of the economy. For instance, he established the Umru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. This was part of his administration’s effort at boosting education in the state. The university, no doubts, has gone a long way in reducing the number of Katsina indigenes securing admission for university education in universities located in neigbouring states of Kano, Kaduna and sometimes Sokoto. His administration was known to be the most financially prudent, as it reportedly cleared the huge debts the state is owed. He wa also said to have accumulated the sum of 50 million dollars surplus in the treasury. The late Nigerian President was also known for his transparency, in that he publicly declared his assets soon after taking office, becoming the first Nigerian governor to do so.
In 2006, the then outgoing president, Olusegun Obasanjo chose late Yar’Adua as the presidential candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Party for the April 2007 election. During the presidential primaries, late Yar’adua was said to have received 3,024 votes from party delegates, while his closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received 372 votes. In the presidential election held on 21 April 2007, late Yar’Adua won 70% of the votes (24.6 million votes) according to official results released on 23 April. The election was highly controversial. Strongly criticized by observers, as well as the two primary opposition candidates, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Atiku Abubakar of the Action Congress (AC), the result was largely rejected as having been rigged in Yar’Adua’s favour.
However as wise as he appeared to be, late President Yar’Adua, had after the election, acknowleged the flaws that characterised the election that brought him to power ans consequently proposed a government of national unity. In late June 2007, two opposition parties, the ANPP and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), agreed to join Yar’Adua’s government. In August 2007, the late Yar’adua administration unveiled a seven-point agenda, encompassing Infrastructure, power and energy, Food security, Wealth creation, Transport, Land reforms, Security and Education, as the focal point of the administration’s solution to developmental challenges and stated goal of elevating Nigeria to be among the twenty largest economies in the world by 2020. Also, part of late president Yar’adua’s major achievements was the establishment of a presidential electoral reform committee to look into the legal factors, social and political institutions and security issues that affects the quality and credibility of elections in the country and also, to make recommendations on improving the credibility of elections. The reform committee was headed by late Mohammed Lawal Uwais, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Among the recommendations of the committee was constitutional measures to make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) truly independent, removing some of the activities of INEC with the creation of an electoral commission and a parties registration agency. It also recommended speedy resolution of legal challenges of elections, presumably before the swearing in ceremony of the victor of the seat being challenged. Another promnent achievement by late President Yar’adua regime was his efforts at improving foreign relations with other countries. He promised that he would help fight corruption within Nigeria and help grow the economy. Equally, late President Yaradua’s amnesty initiative for the Niger Delta militants later brought peace into the area. As a people-oriented-leader, late president Yar’adua once reduced fuel pump price and initiated steps at raising the value of Nigeria’s currency.
Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was born on 16 August 1951 in the ancient city of Katsina His mother was Fatima Dada, while his father was Musa Yar’Adua, who was a Federal Minister throughout the Nigerian First Republic and held the chieftaincy title of Matawalle of the Katsina Emirate, a title which the younger Yar’Adua inherited. His paternal grandfather, Malam Umaru, had also held the title of Matawallen Katsina, while his paternal grandmother, Malama Binta, was a sister of Emir Muhammadu Dikko of Katsina. In other words, late President Yar’adua was blue blooded Nigerian but did not let his background to get to his head.
Historical records show that the late Nigerian President had attended Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962. Thereafter, he attended the Government College at Keffi from 1965 until 1969. In 1971, late president Yar’adua had received a Higher School Certificate from Barewa College. For his university education, late Umaru Yar’adua had attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria from 1972 to 1975, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Education and Chemistry, and then returned in 1978 to pursue a master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry. Thus, he became the first Nigerian with the highest educational qualification to rule the country.
As we remember late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua this week, we pray that Almighy Allah grant him the highest resting place.
