Date Published: 02/26/10

Yar’ adua’s ‘resurrection’ and other stories By Jude Egbas

Umaru Yar’adua is back in Nigeria and in Aso Rock! Two planes arrived Nigeria few hours ago. One an air ambulance and the other our presidential jet that conveyed him to Jeddah. His health status is not clear but acting president Goodluck was not informed.

                                                           Odo Awukam, 24 th feb, 2010 

The last time Mr Awukam sent me a bone chilling text message was on the morning the late King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, joined his ancestors. When my message alert tone shook me off from my slumber at about 4am on the day and the display had Awukam’s name on it, I knew it was one of his ‘breaking news’, series. Two hours later, I confirmed his story via the cable networks. Ailing president of Nigeria, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who had left the country 90 days before had just touched down in Abuja, his ambulance in toe. 

Catherine Abaji (another friend of mine who had left me in a state of catharsis this past week and who would be livid with rage and seal my fate eventually should she ever get to read this) always poses a rhetorical question my way any time I doubt the authenticity of any of her claims : “ why should I be lying to you?”, she would ask, the look in her face daring me to doubt her one more time. Of course, I always knew better. 

So, what was all that story about Yar’adua been pronounced ‘dead’ since December 10 all about?. Why would the American Chronicle (the news organisation which carried the death story) be lying to us? Why did Turai have to tell us the president was coming in ten days and he arrived sooner than ten days? Was it really the president in the air ambulance? What was that entire story about Yar’adua jogging for twenty five minutes while in a Saudi Hospital all about? Why couldn’t anybody (except his wife and close aides) see him in Saudi? Why should ‘they’ be lying to us? 

So, Yar’adua never died. Good news. But the country had been dead since he left without transmitting a letter to the national assembly, duly informing them of his sick leave. The truth is that while the majority of Nigerians I have spoken to are quite happy with his return, a lot of persons would rather he tends to his unstable health condition as much as he could without bothering about returning to office any time soon. The ship of state was left at sea while he was away until the National Assembly saw reasons to hand Jonathan the reins. Contrary to some of the opinion I have read, his sudden appearance under cover of darkness in an ambulance poses no constitutional crisis. At the moment, the constitution and the people of Nigeria in whose name the constitution was written any way, recognise Jonathan as Commander in Chief, until such a time when the President sends a letter to the National Assembly, informing them he is fit enough to return to the rigours of governing a country of 150 million people. 

There has been some power game in the cabinet since acting president Jonathan gave the then attorney general of the federation the demotion he deserved. The federal cabinet as it stands has been split right through the middle; consisting of Pro Yar’ adua and Pro Jonathan camps. To unify these two camps should Yar’adua return to his seat would be the biggest test of his presidency. Information Minister, Professor Akunyuli, only got wind of the President’s arrival via CNN and the acting president and commander in chief of the armed forces wasn’t even aware that a battalion of soldiers had been commanded to guard the airport behind his back. 

Somehow, I suspect that with the reins of power transferred to Jonathan, the cabal that had been behind everything that wasn’t going right with Yar’adua’s presidency had suddenly found itself at the margins as Jonathan took over the ship of state. One sure way of getting back to reckoning in the scheme of things was to do every thing to make sure Yar’adua returns as president no matter how ill. I would be disappointed with ‘Umaru’ should he take this bait. 

It is the same cabal that had lied to us about 6,000 megawatts, which had awarded contracts worth billions without implementation, which had masterminded a well intended Amnesty program that had almost gone awry. It was the same cabal, I recall that barred all the men in power who wanted to see Yar’adua in Saudi Arabia from going on to see him; the same cabal that had bled the country dry and who would stand in the way of a Jonathan who had begun to go about reforms slowly but stealthily. 

Catherine would have looked one of them in the eye without flinching while thundering: “ Why should you be lying to us?” 

Except that, for these men, lying is second nature.