Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
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Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (; 16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
who served as the president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death in May 2010. He won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. He had previously served as the
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Katsina State from 1999 to 2007; and was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2009, Yar'Adua left for
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
to receive treatment for pericarditis. He returned to Nigeria on 24 February 2010, but died on 5 May.


Early life


Family

Yar'adua was born in Katsina State, Nigeria. His father, Musa Yar'Adua, was a Minister for
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
in the First Republic and held the chieftaincy title of ''Matawalle'' (custodian of the royal treasury) 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, Binta, was a princess of the Katsina Emirate and a sister of emir Muhammadu Dikko.Daily Trust, Yar'Adua Interview, 3 March 2007 Yar'Adua married Turai Yar'Adua of Katsina state in 1975; they had seven children (five daughters and two sons) and several grandchildren. Their daughter, Zainab, is married to the former Kebbi state governor, Usman Dakingari. Another daughter, Nafisa, is married to Isa Yuguda, a former governor of Bauchi state. Her sister Maryam is married to Ibrahim Shema, Yar'Adua's successor as Katsina state governor. Yar'Adua was also married to Hauwa Umar Radda from 1992 to 1997, and they had two children.


Education

Yar'Adua started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962. He attended the Government College at Keffi from 1965 until 1969. In 1971 he received a Higher School Certificate from Barewa College. He attended
Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...
in Zaria from 1972 to 1975, where he obtained a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in Education and Chemistry, and then returned in 1978 to pursue a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Analytical Chemistry.


Pre-presidency

Yar'Adua's first employment was at Holy Child College in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
(1975–76). He later served as a lecturer at the College of Arts, Science, and Technology in Zaria,
Kaduna state Kaduna (, جىِهَر كَدُنا; مدينة كدونا; , ; ) is a States of Nigeria, state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna (city), Kaduna, which was the List of Nigerian ...
, between 1976 and 1979. In 1979, he began working as a lecturer at Katsina College of Arts, Science, and Technology (now Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic), remaining in this position until 1983, when he began working in the corporate sector. Yar'Adua worked at Sambo Farms Ltd. in Funtua, Katsina state, as its pioneer General Manager, between 1983 and 1989. He served as a board member of Katsina State Farmers' Supply Company between 1984 and 1985, Member of the Governing Council of Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology Zaria and Katsina Polytechnic, between 1978 and 1983, board chairman of Katsina State Investment and Property Development Company between 1994 and 1996. He also served as a director of many companies, including Habib Nigeria
Bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
Ltd, 1995–99; Lodigiani Nigeria Ltd., 1987–99, Hamada Holdings, 1983–99; and Madara Ltd., Vom, Jos, 1987–99. He was Chairman of Nation House Press Ltd., Kaduna, from 1995 to 1999.


Party politics

During the Second Republic (1979–83), Yar'Adua was a member of the leftist People's Redemption Party, while his father was briefly the National Vice Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria. During the transition programme of General Ibrahim Babangida to the Third Republic, Yar'Adua was one of the foundation members of the Peoples Front of Nigeria with other members such as Atiku Abubakar, Baba Gana Kingibe, Bola Tinubu, Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Wada Abubakar, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Abubakar Koko and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a political association under the leadership of his elder brother, the late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua. That association later formed the Social Democratic Party. Yar'Adua was a member of the 1988 Constituent Assembly. He was a member of the party's National Caucus and the Nigerian Social Democratic Party's (SDP) State Secretary in Katsina. He contested for the governorship position in the 1991 election, but lost to Saidu Barda, the candidate of the National Republican Convention.


Governor of Katsina

In 1999, Yar'Adua won the Katsina state governorship election. He was the first governor to publicly declare his assets. Yar'Adua's administration saw various developments in the state. Katsina became the fifth northern Nigerian state to adopt
sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
, or Islamic law. Education was prioritised and several schools were built in local areas. Yar'Adua also delivered on his promise of running an efficient public administration, with corruption significantly hampered. In 2003, he was re-elected for a second term in office and his successor was Ibrahim Shema.


2007 presidential election

Between 16 and 17 December 2006, Yar'Adua was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling People's Democratic Party for the April 2007 election, receiving 3,024 votes from party delegates; his closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received 372 votes. Yar'Adua's success in the primary election was attributed to the support of incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo; At the time of his nomination, he was an obscure figure on the national stage, and has been described as a "puppet" of Obasanjo, who could not have won the nomination under fair circumstances. Shortly after his nomination, Yar'Adua chose Goodluck Jonathan, governor of
Bayelsa state Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...
, as his vice-presidential candidate. Another view regarding the support he received from President Olusegun Obasanjo is that, he was one of few serving governors with a spotless record, devoid of any suspicions or charges of corruption. He also belonged to the People's Democratic Movement (PDM) – a powerful political block, founded by his late brother, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, who was Obasanjo's second-in-command during his
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
rule. In the presidential election held on 21 April 2007, Yar'Adua won 70% of the votes ( 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.


Presidency

After the election, Yar'Adua 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.


Cabinet members

Yar'Adua's new cabinet was sworn in on 26 July 2007. It included 39 ministers, including two for the ANPP.


National agenda

In August 2007, the administration unveiled a seven-point agenda to be 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: * Infrastructure, power and energy * Food security *Wealth creation *Transport *Land reforms *Security *Education The administration did not realise this agenda prior to his illness and death.Robert, Dr & Dode, Oghenedoro. (2019). Yar'adua 7-Point Agenda, the Mdgs and Sustainable Development in Nigeria. The power sector was not adequately funded, infrastructural deficit was not closed down and the troublesome process of reforming land use regulations hampered a reform of the land tenure law.


Electoral reforms

Yar'Adua established 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 Mohammed 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.


Foreign Policy

During his tenure as president, Yar'Adua had tried to improve foreign relations with other countries to also help with social justice and national security. While talking with President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
, he had explained that he would help fight corruption within Nigeria and help grow the economy. Though, this turned out not to be so and instead he weakened foreign relations with other countries. For instance, as more Nigerians engaged in trips abroad and consequently increased interactions with citizens of other states, issues of maltreatment of Nigerians abroad equally escalated in equal proportion. Thus, the period between 2007 and 2010 seemed characterised of an era when globalization heavily impacted Nigeria's foreign relations rather negatively. What appears to give credence to this is the fact that many Nigerians, in an attempt to utilize opportunities offered by globalization, became victims of the integration process. During the administration, incidences against Nigerians in the course of the country's foreign relations with other states were at a high level. It was the same across Africa, Europe, and Asia. For instance, in May 2008, South Africans unleashed xenophobic attacks on immigrants and many Nigerians suffered grievous loss and distress in the process.


National Security


Violence in the Niger Delta

Under Yar'Adua, Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta became increasingly militarized and insecure. Scores of civilians were murdered by armed gangs and security forces in 2007, and the violence further impeded the impoverished region's development. Much of the insecurity that plagued the Delta was directly related to failures of governance at all levels. Despite massive budget increases due to rising oil prices, federal, state, and local governments made no effective effort to address the grinding poverty and environmental degradation that lay at the heart of political discontent in the region. Instead, many regional political figures were directly implicated in sponsoring and arming militia groups that carried out violent abuses. His amnesty initiative for militants later brought peace into the Niger Delta.


2009 Boko Haram Uprising

In early 2009, Boko Haram launched a military campaign for Islamic rule in Nigeria. According to initial media reports, the violence began on 26 July 2009 when Boko Haram launched an attack on a police station in Bauchi State. Clashes between the militants and the Nigeria Police Force erupted in Kano, Yobe and Borno. Which led Yar'Adua to order an investigation into the killing of the leader of the radical Islamist sect, which was responsible for violence that left more than 700 people dead. Many are devastated and the war is still going on today.


Illness

Yar'Adua left Nigeria on 23 November 2009, and was reported to be receiving treatment for pericarditis at a clinic in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. He was not seen in public again, and his absence created a power vacuum which was usurped by a cabal. On 22 January 2010, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had fourteen days to decide a resolution on whether Yar'Adua was "incapable of discharging the functions of his office". The ruling also stated that the Federal Executive Council should hear testimony of five doctors, one of whom should be Yar'Adua's personal physician.


Doctrine of necessity

On 9 February 2010, the Senate controversially used the " doctrine of necessity" to transfer Presidential Powers to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, and declared him Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, until Yar'Adua returned to full health. The power transfer, considered illegal by some, was described as a "coup without the word" by opposition lawyers and lawmakers. However, there were others who felt the power vacuum would lead to instability and a possible military takeover.


Personal life


Health

In 2007, Yar'Adua, who suffered from a
kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...
condition, challenged his critics to a game of squash in an endeavor to end speculations about his health. On 6 March 2007, he was flown to Germany for medical reasons, further fomenting rumors about his health. His spokesperson said this was due to stress and quoted Yar'Adua as saying he was fine and would soon be back to campaigning. Another report, which was rejected by Yar'Adua's spokesperson, claims that Yar'Adua collapsed after suffering a possible heart attack.


Wealth

On 28 June 2007, Yar'Adua publicly revealed his declaration of assets from May (becoming the first Nigerian president to do so), according to which he had 856,452,892 ( US$) in assets, () of which belonged to his wife. He also had ₦88,793,269.77 () in liabilities. This disclosure, which fulfilled a pre-election promise he made, was intended to set an example for other Nigerian politicians and discourage corruption.


Death and aftermath

On 24 February 2010, Yar'Adua returned to
Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...
under the cover of darkness. His state of health was unclear, but there was speculation that he was still on a life support machine. Various political and religious figures in
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
had visited him during his illness saying he would make a recovery. Yar'Adua died on 5 May at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. An Islamic burial took place on 6 May in his hometown in Katsina. The Federal Government of Nigeria declared a seven-day mourning period. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan said "Nigeria has lost the jewel on its crown and even the heavens mourn with our nation tonight. As individuals and as a nation we prayed for the recovery of Mr President. But we take solace in the fact that the Almighty is the giver and taker of all life." US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
offered condolences, stating: "He was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within Nigeria's own borders, and continuing that work will be an important part of honoring his legacy."


See also

* Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, elder brother * Olusegun Obasanjo * Goodluck Jonathan


References


External links


Umaru Musa Yar'Adua: Vision for the Future

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, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Yaradua, Umaru 1951 births 2010 deaths Presidents of Nigeria Governors of Katsina State Nigerian Muslims Nigerian Fula people Ahmadu Bello University alumni Social Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians People's Redemption Party politicians Peoples Democratic Party presidents of Nigeria People from Katsina Umaru Barewa College alumni Candidates in the Nigerian general election, 2007 Peoples Democratic Party state governors of Nigeria Politicians from Katsina