Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hailed late former President Umoru Musa Yar’Adua on the 9th anniversary of his death, describing him as a ” man of peace and a leader with a vision”.
The late Yar’Adua died in office after a protracted illness diagnosed as accute pericarditis in May 2010 and was buried in his home state of Katsina. Yar’Adua was elected President in 2007 after serving as the governor of Katsina State, he was succeeded by his then deputy, Goodluck Jonathan.
Atiku in a statement he personally signed on Sunday,made available to BusinessDay by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said the late President Yar’adua was a man he was closely connected to.
” First, because his late brother, the great Tafida of Katsina, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, was my political mentor who taught both myself and Umaru, the ropes in politics.
“Obviously, with Umaru, the apple did not fall far from the tree.
“And secondly, because we worked very, very closely when he was the Governor of Katsina State at the time I was Vice President to our leader, President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“In this period where Nigeria is facing almost unprecedented violence and insecurity, the world will remember that it was President Yar’Adua who bequeathed peace to the Niger Delta through his futuristic and visionary amnesty and rehabilitation programme,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President noted that Yar’Adua’s policies actions towards the Niger Delta saw an unprecedented improvement in the performance of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry which led to record-breaking 5% GDP growth.
Atiku said beyond that, Umaru Musa Yar’adua was an advocate and proponent of the Rule of Law and the doctrine of Separation of Powers. “His was the only administration that did not suffer from Executive-Legislative tensions in this Fourth Republic,” he said.
“I am proud of what he achieved and the fact that such a decent leader was produced by my political family (the Yar’adua political family) and my political party (the Peoples Democratic Party).
“May the Almighty Allah continue to shine His Noor (Light) on the face of our late dear President Umaru Yar’Adua as we mark 9 years of his passing and may Allah (SWT) grant him al-Jannah Firdaus.
“I also pray that God continues to bless the family he left behind. A grateful nation appreciates the labours of their beloved son almost a decade after his passing,” the Wazirin Adamawa said.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
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