Date Published: 02/18/10

Ministers can't see Yar'Adua

…Would need clearance from Saudi King Abdullah

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

The six Ministers nominated to visit sickly president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in Saudi Arabia would need clearance from King Abdullah, the King of Saudi Arabia to do so or forget the trip to the kingdom, a Saudi Source told pointblanknews.com.

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, had nominated six Ministers to travel to Saudi Arabia and visit President Yar’Adua as part of efforts aimed at determining his true state of health.

Members of the committee include Minister of Health Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, Minister of Agriculture Dr Abba Sayyad Ruma, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of Petroleum Dr Rilwanu Lukman, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), as well as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed.

This is even as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, along with his deputy Dr Bello Haliru Mohammed and PDP National Secretary Abubakar Kawu Baraje and delegates from the House of Representatives were refused access to Yar'adua, who has been there for more than 80 days

According to a source who would not want to be named, hospital officials would not violate an order from King Abdullah and a pact entered between the hospital and the Yar’Adua family to keep out any visitor from Nigeria or elsewhere to the Nigerian President no matter how highly placed.

“They are free to come to Saudi Arabia but we cannot guarantee that they would see the President of Nigeria because that would be breaking an order and an agreement we have all signed and promised to keep.”

The source added “if King Abdullah says we should allow any visitor we would do so, we cannot break the order now.”

As earlier reported, the Saudi royal family and the Yar’Adua family had entered into a pact to keep information about the Nigeria President secret and access to him limited to only his wife, Turai Yar’Adua. The Saudi media have also been banned from reporting anything concerning the health of President Yar’Adua while hospital workers have been made to swear an oath of secrecy.

Also, hospital staff who are Nigerians or other Africans working in or around the unit where President Yar’Adua is kept have all been moved to different wards.

It would be recalled that Presidential aide to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on National Assembly
Matters Senator Mohammed Abba Aji told the Senate recently why the President has not been seen by top government officials in Saudi Arabia.

Abba Aji said the security and protocol around Yar’Adua are controlled from the palace of the king of Saudi Arabia and that the section of the hospital where
Yar’Adua is kept is the one used by the King.