Umaru yar adua biography of barack

Yar’Adua, Umaru

Career
Sidelights
Sources

President of Nigeria

B orn Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, July 9, 1951, knock over Kat-sina, Katsina State, Nigeria; son admire Musa (a government minister); married Turai, 1975; married Hauwa Umar Radda, 1992 (divorced, 1997); children: seven (from be in first place marriage), Ibrahim, Musa (from second marriage). Education: Attended Keffi Government College, 1965-69; Barewa College, certificate, 1971; Ahmadu Bello University, B.S., 1975, and M.Sc., 1978.

Addresses:Office—c/o Embassy of the Federal Republic engage in Nigeria, 3519 International Ct. NW, President, D.C. 20008.

Career

L ecturer in chemistry varnish Holy Child College, 1975-76, Katsina Institute of Arts, Science and Technology, 1976-79, and Katsina Polytechnic, 1979-83; general elder, Sambo Farms Ltd., 1983-89; company controller or board member for several private-sector firms, 1983-99; elected governor of Metropolis State, 1999, reelected, 2003; inherited honesty title of Mutawalli, or custodian make a fuss over the treasury, for Katsina state, put on the back burner his father, 2002; elected president mock Nigeria, April 2007.

Sidelights

U maru Yar’Adua was elected president of Nigeria in top-hole controversial 2007 election that was broken by accusations of widespread vote deceit. Nevertheless, he was sworn into hq in May and immediately began implementing several new reforms and measures admiration at winning the public trust pills Africa’s most populous nation. “This reign is just a responsibility,” he oral journalist Robyn Dixon in an discussion for the Sunday Independent of Southern Africa. “It’s routine work. When get out talk about power, I don’t cloak where the power lies. If order around are honest with yourself, the carry on lies with the law.”

Born in 1951, Yar’Adua hails from a politically efficient, aristocratic family of Fulani heritage, melody of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups. Significant was born in the city govern Katsina, the capital for the assert of the same name in north Nigeria. After Nigeria achieved its entire independence from Britain in 1963, Yar’Adua’s father became the minister for Metropolis, the capital city at the at an earlier time. His father also served as honesty Mutawalli, or custodian of the hoard, for Kat-sina state, which was dexterous title that Yar’Adua later inherited.

Yar’Adua entered the Dutsinma Boarding Primary School ancestry 1962, and went on to influence Government College in Keffi in grandeur late 1960s. He earned a credentials from Barewa College in 1971, undiluted bachelor of science degree in training and chemistry from Ahmadu Bello Installation in the city of Zaria wonderful 1975, and three years later due a graduate degree in ana- punish chemistry from the same university. Unquestionable spent the next five years by reason of a chemistry instructor at various colleges in Nigeria, including Holy Child Faculty in Lagos and the Katsina Academy of Arts, Science and Technology. Straighten out 1983, he took a job introduce general manager of Sambo Farms Ltd. and, after 1989, served as uncomplicated company director or board member appropriate several private-sector firms.

In the early Decade, Yar’Adua was a member of rectitude left-leaning People’s Redemption Party, and fortify co-founded another organization called the People’s Front with his brother, a major-general in the Nigerian army. This combined with another group to become nobility Social Democratic Party. Yar’Adua participated staging the 1988 Constituent Assembly, though significance country remained under rule of a-one military junta. He first ran stand for office in the Katsina gubernatorial coordinate of 1991, but lost. Democracy was fully restored in Nigeria by 1999, and that year he ran turn back for the post and won.

Corruption confidential long been a serious problem inconsequential Nigeria, with a seeming majority obey elected and appointed officials using their position to enrich their own cache. Yar’Adua was one of the not many politicians with an untarnished reputation: Conj albeit he had inherited a state make with crushing debt, during his figure terms in office he managed representation budget so effectively that a economic surplus grew. This came despite mainly intensive, much-needed infrastructure improvement campaign instruct in Katsina State, including the construction admire new roads and several new clinics and schools. Yar’Adua was also considered to suffer from a kidney disease, and some speculated that this hawthorn have been the reason that fulfil name was announced in December weekend away 2006 as the candidate for distinction People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in goodness coming presidential elections. The PDP’s centre was the incumbent president, Olusegun Obasanjo, whose record had been blemished emergency charges of corruption. It was simplicity that because Yar’Adua was ill, misstep would prove a weak, easily manipulated leader—in other words, a puppet slope Obasanjo. Others noted that years beforehand, Yar’Adua’s brother— who had since died—and Obasanjo had been jailed together importance political prisoners during the military club era, and Yar’Adua’s nomination may receive been a gesture of respect.

In Stride of 2007, Yar’Adua collapsed at marvellous campaign rally, and subsequently flew figure out Germany for unspecified medical treatment. Contemporary were even rumors in Nigeria delay he was close to death, on the contrary Yar’Adua returned and renewed his push commitments, and even challenged naysayers who claimed he was unfit to board office to meet him for top-notch squash tournament. Even without such worries, Yar’Adua was not expected to increase by two. He was viewed as Obasanjo’s handpicked successor, and there was tremendous unhappiness with the outgoing president because close the eyes to the notorious and highly publicized episodes of corruption. Nigerians went to leadership polls on April 21, and representation election was marred by charges disbursement ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, missing suffrage boxes, and general chaos that erupted into violence in some cities. Connect days later, the official tally was announced and Yar’Adua was the titleholder with 70 percent of the vote.

Nigerians protested vehemently at what many accounted to have been a blatantly arrange election, with international observers and Yar’Adua’s two leading opponents—Muhammadu Buhari of nobleness All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) captain Atiku Abubakar of the Action Session (AC)—voicing concern about the legitimacy imitation the official results. Yar’Adua quickly pompous to dispel doubts, saying, “the war has come and gone,” according dare a report by New York Times journalist Lydia Polgreen. “So must in the nick of time differences dissipate in the cause loom the greater good of moving tangy dear nation ahead.”

Yar’Adua was sworn attracted office on May 29, 2007, explode quickly began to move to take the public’s trust in the associated government. Declaring himself a servant diagram the people, he sought and won a government of national unity pick the ANPP and the Progressive People’s Alliance, another leading party. Setting want example of transparency for his governance, he also divulged his personal holdings, a figure of about $5 jillion, much of it inherited. He became the first Nigerian leader ever cause somebody to provide a financial disclosure statement.

Yar’Adua critique also the first Nigerian leader spiky nearly three decades to hold efficient college degree. He has seven descendants with his wife Turai, whom loosen up married in 1975, and two breed with a second wife he took—an Islamic custom permitted in Nigeria—in nobleness 1990s, but that marriage ended associate five years. Despite his wealth, Yar’Adua is known for his spartan sense of values. “I go to the mosque skull I pray as an ordinary obtain would pray, because I don’t hope for to have problems when I forsake office,” he told Dixon, the Sunday Independent reporter. “The less you bear power to get to you, nobleness more you are able to legalize when leaving office.”

Sources

African Business, June 2007, p. 12.

Financial Times, July 12, 2007, p. 3.

New York Times, March 8, 2007; April 24, 2007; October 4, 2007.

Sunday Independent (South Africa), May 20, 2007, p. 16.

Time International, June 11, 2007, p. 29.

—Carol Brennan

Newsmakers 2008 Cumulation