It never came to me as a surprise when it was announced on radio and TV about the untimely death of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This was because of the condition he was in before he met his Lord. President Umar Yar’dua suffered a combination of illness including cancer of the kidney. This he has been battling with for some couple of years and it was this same sickness that caused him to lie on a sick bed in Saudi Arabia a few months ago. He wished he could recover whilst in Jeddah to come back to his people speaking to the BBC but destiny once written cannot be compromised.
As a muslim, he was buried the same day he died but whatever good or bad he did will persist till the end of time. It is therefore my reason for wanting to look into or try to come up with the legacy of this servant.
It is simpler to say the late President was a very decent man and President Obama of US even attested to this fact. From his style of dressing which is very typical of Nigerian muslims, his manner of conveying messages to his people and the general conduct of his administration proves this fact. As human as he was he may have faulted in one way or another but since I am looking at him in the human lens he was decent.
Secondly, and probably the best of his legacies, he was a man of peace. Prior to his assumption into office, there were some confusion and disturbances in the oil rich Niger Delta caused by the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND). This mayhem will have led to a major destabilization of the country but the emergence of Yar’dua saw an agreement reached between the MEND and the government. This move really helped in maintaining the peace in Nigeria.
However, there were some other things he did that people might have not concurred with. Amongst these is the genocide style shooting of the members of the religious group Boko Haram. In this incident more than hundreds of members of this group lost their lives for claiming that formal education was not good. This action brought about mixed feelings among the people of Nigerians. Some thought a better alternative should have been employed whilst others thought it was the right action. Whether it was for a good purpose or not, this action was against Human Rights.
Mr. Yar’dua came into office with a tall list of reformations and whether he was able to achieve it or not lies with Nigerians. An African leader is dead and all the people of mother Africa must come together to mourn an illustrious son. RIP Yar’dua and may you be able to account for all your deeds when you finally meet the Almighty.
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