Hope dims on Yar’Adua’s return
By HENRY UMAHI

Saturday, January 16, 2010
When President Umar Musa Yar’Adua spoke to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), at the height of speculation that he was dead, many a Nigerian heaved a sigh of relief. When he reportedly left hospital for a private home, to fully recover, after treatment, Nigerians thought that his stay abroad would soon come to an end. However, feelers have indicated that Nigerians may have to wait for long before Yar’Adua returns home.







Indeed, the president had said, in the BBC interview, that he would return home when he is well enough to do so. He said, when asked when exactly he would be going home: “I am getting better. Anytime God heals me and I am strong, that is the time, insha Allah. I will come back to Nigeria any time the doctors discharge me.”

Saturday Sun gathered that Yar’Adua was frank in the interview. He knows how he feels and do not want to gamble with his life again. Although the president is no longer in hospital, it was learnt that it would still take some time before he returns to Nigeria, as Yar’Adua is weak and under doctors’ close watch. This condition was visible in the interview he granted BBC, where his voice was weak and he coughed.

Sources revealed that doctors are actually afraid that Yar’Adua may suffer a relapse and, therefore, do not want to risk allowing him to return to Nigeria. According to sources, doctors fear that if the president returns to Nigeria and suffer a relapse, it would be difficult to manage the situation. The doctors are said to reckon that it would be easier to handle a relapse or emergency if the president is in Saudi Arabia.

Apart from that, it was learnt that the doctors say that in his present state, it will be risky putting Yar’Adua on the plane, where he would lie down for no fewer than six hours, with the attendant turbulence in the air.

With such situation, a competent source revealed that the president may still be away for as long as two months or more.

The source said: “The truth is that Nigerians should not expect the president soon. He will still be in Saudi Arabia for some weeks. As it is, the doctors are not in a hurry to let him go. This is so because Yar’Adua survived by a hair’s breadth. He was in real bad state in the months of November and December. Now that the worse appears over, the doctors are having an eye on him.”

Why Yar’Adua can’t appear on TV

Saturday Sun gathered that the demand by Nigerians for clips of Yar’Adua in hospital should be shown on Nigerian television could not have been granted because of the president’s condition before now. Sources revealed that a close confidant of the president fears that recording Yar’Adua and showing the clips in Nigeria may raise the agitation that he relinquish power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, an option the northern power brokers do not want to consider.

It was gathered that it was the fear that Nigerians journalists, who have been nosy about the president’s treatment abroad, would not conceal what they see, if they are taken to Saudi Arabia to speak with the president, that made the government to prefer the BBC.

Before the BBC was allowed to speak briefly with Yar’Adua, we gathered that a deal was reached that the interview would be brief. Sources revealed that the doctors had prepared Yar’Adua and stabilized his condition before the BBC correspondent was allowed to see him.

The coup against agitation for an acting president

Until the Yar’Adua interview on BBC, the agitation for the transfer of power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan had reached a crescendo. It was gathered that when the National Assembly resumed sitting and scheduled to discuss the president’s absence from the seat of power, Yar’Adua’s associates panicked and thought of what to do. Afraid that public opinion may be swayed in favour of handing over power to Jonathan, in an acting capacity, especially if the National Assembly supports the move, the proponent in the ailing president still holding the rein of power mooted the idea that a media interview should be arranged.

Those, who arranged this was smart enough to put the broadcast on Tuesday morning, the same day the National Assembly had scheduled to discuss the president’s health condition. The BBC interview, therefore, removed the sail in the ship of those who wanted transfer of power. A source said that the strategy worked, as the National Assembly members, having learnt about the early morning BBC interview, decided to treat cautiously.

One source said: “The Tuesday morning BBC interview was a perfect strategy to stall the idea of having an acting president. These people are good strategists. They deliberately fixed the broadcast for Tuesday morning, same day the Senate and House of Representatives discussed the matter. The strategy worked. Didn’t you see how the Senate handled the matter? Instead of canvassing the need for an acting president, they talked made general comments and even dumped the suggestion to send a delegation to Saudi Arabia to ascertain the true health condition of the president,” the source said.


The cost of Yar’Adua’s stay in Saudi

Apart from the medical bill, Nigeria is losing enormously with Yar’Adua’s continued stay in Saudi Arabia. For one, it was gathered that there are retinue of security personnel and other protocol officers, who are collecting out-station allowance.

Beside personnel, the presidential jet, which has been parked in Saudi is incurring huge bill. According to investigation, airports collect landing and parking fees from airlines that fly within and from outside their countries.

For the international flights, payments are made in United States dollars, while the domestic airlines can either pay in dollars or local currency. It was learnt that the charges are in two broad categories; day and night. The night charges are higher than daylight charges because more facilities are deployed for night operations. For day landing, the calculation is in kilograms and done in a simple arithmetic way. For day landing, FAAN charges $0.00909 per kilogram and that is multiplied by the Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) of any airplane. For night landing, it is $0.01364 multiplied by the MTOW and most international airlines come and depart Nigeria in the night.

However, MTOW defers from airplane to airplane as it is determined by the manufacturer of the aircraft. Wide body aircraft automatically has higher MTOW than smaller airplanes. In other words, the type of airplane determines how much the airport authority makes from a particular airline’s airplane.

Investigation revealed MTOW for B747-400, which British Airways, for example, flies into Lagos daily with is 396,890 kg. In other words, BA pays $0.00909x396,890kg, which is $3, 607 or N541,159 per landing. For B777-300, which Delta Air, Air France and Emirates operate, the MTOW is 247, 210 kg and as such for each landing, it pays $2, 247 or N337, 070.

Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A34-600 has a MTOW of 276, 500 kg and translates to $2, 513 or N377, 007

However, for parking, it is calculated as $0.00114 multiplied by the MTOW and also multiplied by the numbers of hours spent on ground by the aircraft. Airport authorities, in some countries, as in Nigeria, do not charge for the first three hours and that is why most airlines try not to exceed five hours. For instance, if an airline, like Delta Air, with its B777, stays for five hours on ground, the parking charge will be; $0.00114x247, 210 x 2 hours (since the first three hours is free), which is equals to $563 or N84, 545.

The Presidential aircraft, which is a 70-tonne Boeing business jet, has been parked in Saudi Arabia for the 55 days Yar’Adua has been out of the country. If the plane were to be charged for parking fee, at the Nigerian rate, it would be costing the country an average of $6, 756 or N1, 013, 400 per day. Therefore, in the 55 days that Yar’Adua has been in Saudi, the presidential jet has incurred about $371, 580 or N55, 737, 000.


http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jan/16/500.html

Beside personnel, the presidential jet, which has been parked in Saudi is incurring huge bill. According to investigation, airports collect landing and parking fees from airlines that fly within and from outside their countries.

They really need an investigation to know this?

Saturday Sun gathered that the demand by Nigerians for clips of Yar’Adua in hospital should be shown on Nigerian television could not have been granted because of the president’s condition before now. Sources revealed that a close confidant of the president fears that recording Yar’Adua and showing the clips in Nigeria may raise the agitation that he relinquish power to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, an option the northern power brokers do not want to consider.

What are southerner power brokers doing? Mr Ogbulafor is not a norther is he? why is he not sayin anything
The southern governors are not exactly saying much especially those from the SS/SE

What are southerner power brokers doing? Mr Ogbulafor is not a norther is he? why is he not sayin anything

do you think Southerner put Mr Ogbulafor in that position?

Dis Guy una don start again, which sourthern politician or power broker don help you or a close family person? How many Northern or Southern Politicians don create 'real' jobs for me and you?

We should stop decieving ourselves - North, South, East, West at the end of the day na Sth Africans, Kora people, Indians dey build factories in the country dey give person work,
abi na bank wey say make my sister dress like prostitute to get deposit you dey call work?

We should stop decieving ourselves - North, South, East, West at the end of the day na Sth Africans, Kora people, Indians dey build factories in the country dey give person work,

Thank you jare! Instead of tackling the real issue, these newspapers are makng us lose sight of teh real issue

otawa:

do you think Southerner put Mr Ogbulafor in that position?

So who has the southerner ever put somewhere, or are they really powerless in igeria?
_{I mean with all these degrees and international certificates}

otawa:

do you think Southerner put Mr Ogbulafor in that position?

Is Nigeria now the United states of PDP or what?

The BBC correspondent didn't see yar'adua it was a PHONE interview. . . These useless nigerian journalists would never do their home work.

Is Nigeria now the United states of PDP or what?

Mr Aloy, sadly but this is TRUTH.

Nigeria belongs to PDP.

And who own PDP?  The President!