By Ebun Babalola & Bashir Adefaka
After a long illness, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010. Until his death, Yar’Adua battled an ailment known as acute pericarditis, an  inflammation of the membrane around the heart. His remains was laid to rest in his own town, Kastina State on May 6 according to  Islamic rites.
Although, he has died, he will be remembered for the legacies he left behind such as respect for  rule of  law, electoral reforms and amnesty to militants. However, the question many Nigerians are asking is, “What happens after Yar Adua”? Saturday Vanguard presents  the views  of  Nigerians.

Yar’Adua will be received as a good child by Awo, Zik, others — Alex Nwokedi

As Nigerians and people around the world continue to mourn the death of late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua, former Press Secretary to the Head of State during the General Olusegun Obasanjo military regime, Igwe (Dr.) Alex Nwokedi, has described the Daura-born  late  leader as a sincere and honest  man.

Igwe Nwokedi gave the tribute  in a telephone chat with Saturday Vanguard on Thursday where he joined the entire people of Nigeria in mourning the late President.

He said the late President Yar’Adua lived a very sincere and honest life and that he had contributed immensely to the development and progress of humanity.

“He will be remembered for all those good steps he took to ensure that life became meaningful for the people of Nigeria and I am very confident that our forefathers: Herbert Macaulay, Zik, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and other founding fathers of Nigeria will welcome him as a good child of Nigeria, whose life was commendable.”.

Meanwhile, the monarch of Achalla, Anambra State has assured that the newly installed President and Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, had the goodwill of entire Nigerians and urged the people to support and cooperate with the new leader to succeed.

He called on the Bayelsa-born number one citizen to take advantage of the little time he has at hand to make his own mark by ensuring that series of improvement are effected in the electoral system, power and agricultural sectors.

“He should add agriculture among his priorities because without agriculture, the country’s economy can never be balanced.  He should also hold as important, the development of  the rural areas of our country.”

Yar’Adua deserves peace prize— Orji Kalu

Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu described  the  late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua as a man of peace who thought no evil against anyone even as he recommended a peace prize in honour of the departed leader.
“Alhaji Yar’Adua was a man of peace and he made sincere efforts to keep Nigeria together. While some of the leaders before him treated the Niger Delta  militants with disdain, he called them  to Aso Villa as full blooded Nigerians. In fact, Yar’Adua deserves a prize for peace,”Kalu said.

Significantly, the former Abia governor pointed out, Yar’Adua’s belief in the rule of  law helped stabilise the polity.
“The late President was a statesman who respected the laws of the land. He kept away from the politics of the various states. The man had good plans for the people but was weighed down by ill health,”Kalu added.

Harping on the high point of the Yar’Adua era, Kalu said the oil producing states benefitted from his wisdom, an attribute that endeared him to the marginalised South.

“In the past, the Niger Deltans were deceived to think that progress was in the pipeline. And out of exasperation, they blew up the pipelines. Yar’Adua took them to the seat of power, the Tompolos, the Boyloafs and the Ateke Toms, channeled the peace process through the same erstwhile pipelines of exploitation, thereby calming frayed nerves.”Kalu pointed out.

“I can only urge President Goodluck Jonathan to maintain the peaceful route of his successor so that the greatest legacy of Yar’Adua would be that he was succeeded by a great son of the Niger Delta.”

He wore personal qualities of integrity — Arewa Consultative Forum

The Arewa Consultative Forum sends its deepest condolence to the family, the government of Kastina State, the Federal Government and people of Nigeria over the tragic death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. His death which has followed his long illness is a source of great pain and trauma for all of us.

There is no one left in any doubt about the good intentions of President Musa Yar’Adua. He wore his personal qualities of integrity, humility and goodwill right there on his sleeves. He was willing to bear great personal burden and make sacrifices in order to achieve his vision of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.

Nigerians will for long remain indebted to the late President for the patriotism and courage with which he tackled the many intractable problems of Nigeria especially those left behind by his predecessor in office. In particular, Nigerians will always remember President Yar’Adua’s insistence on unqualified obedience to the rule of  law and due process, the two pillars of his campaign to combat corruption and impunity, the evils destroying our country.

Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua presidency held great potentials for the transformation of Nigeria but the success of his programnmes and policies have never been assured as he was continually hampered by ill health.

It is up to Nigerians to draw the right lessons to the late President’s abortive tenure to office. We must pick up the challenges he has left behind.

Future leaders should imbibe his legacy—Yakassai

Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, former permanent secretary and first republic politician left the ACF at the height of the clamour for Jonathan to become acting President when Yar Adua was still alive, putting his foot down against the idea but when the north gave in to the clamour, he left the ACF. He described Yar Adua’s demise as a big loss.

“The death of President Yar Adua is a big loss to Nigeria. We have lost a patriotic leader who was committed to addressing the perennial problems plaguing the nation such as endemic corruption, election malpractice, inadequate power supply, Niger Delta crisis, problems of law and order, lack of security and wide spread poverty. When he assumed office, he faced those problems head-on by introducing a 7-point agenda which will reduce the problems.

He was the first elected Nigerian leader to declare his assets publicly both as a state governor and as president. He was acknowledged to be honest and sincere. He was never associated with greed and selfishness.

He was a highly principled and religious person who was committed to the service of God. May his gentle soul rest in peace.”

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan deserves his right to the Presidency — Olapade Agoro

The democratic norm  of one  man one vote in an assured free and fair election, encourages the emergence of the peoples true leader selected  through the heat of struggle.
This is  totally against the  unguarded  language of selective leadership which is corruptive, rights abusive and production infinitive.

PDP zoning formula being diabolically imposed on  its unsuspecting members is all about selective leadership which has brought the nation so far disgracefully to it’s knees.

PDP  it must be said was packaged initially by some eminent and well intentioned Nigerians purposely as a democratic vehicle of conservative leaning. Unfortunately, the vehicle was allowed to be hijacked by political contractors who made way for its untimely derailment.

There is  no justifiable reasons for the anti  human feelings and counter productive  zoning formula which preaches North- South divide and which connotes denial of rights and discrimination of fatherhood.

Section 42 (2) of 1999 Constitution of  Federal Republic of Nigeria stipulates that “ No Citizen of Nigeria shall be subject to any disability and deprivation merely by reason of the circumstances of  his birth”

If this Constitutional stipulation must therefore be respected , PDP zoning formula would be seen as a grave affront to the rights of Nigerians.

This brings one to the revelation by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who recently denied  the existence of zoning formula in the PDP constitution and for which he has been once again vilified.

What  the reasonable members of public must realize and be told is that Obasanjo can not be wrong on an information concerning PDP. He must be respected on his views that PDP has no zoning formula.

Dr. Good luck Jonathan must be given his deserved right to the true leadership of Nigeria to vie for the presidency under the logo of PDP come 2011.

His death should be lessons for Nigerians— Alhaji Lateef Jakande

The death of Yar’Adua is sad and I hope  it will teach all of us a good lesson. He is a good man but unfortunately his  political associates  used his illness to play on the intelligence of Nigerians.

I commend the wife for the loyalty she showed to her husband and her courage.