Book: Late Nigeria President Wilted Away In Office

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's late President Umaru Yar'Adua grew so weak while in office he needed once to be carried by a soldier off a runway during a state visit to Togo, ultimately becoming unable to speak in the last weeks of his life, according to a new book by his former spokesman.

The book by Olusegun Adeniyi tells of how the ill leader became a political pawn in a charade that saw soldiers deployed without authorization and rumors of a possible coup float among the elite in the oil-rich nation. It also describes the rise of militancy in the oil-rich country's crude-producing southern delta, including how a militant leader stole thousands of machine guns from Nigerian army depots.

Though portraying his former boss in a largely flattering light, Adeniyi's book shows how tenuous democracy is in a nation plagued by vote-rigging and that cast off military rule only 13 years ago.

"If we will be honest with ourselves, we all know how we rig elections in this country," Adeniyi quotes Yar'Adua as saying during a closed-door January 2008 meeting about the corrupt election that saw him become the nation's leader. "We compromise the security agencies, we pay the electoral officials and party agents while on the eve of the election we merely distribute logistics all designed to buy the vote."

The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of "Power, Politics and Death: A Front-Row Account of Nigeria Under the Late President Yar'Adua" from the author, who now writes a column for ThisDay newspaper. Reuben Abati, a spokesman for current President Goodluck Jonathan, declined to comment on the book. A spokesman for the ruling People's Democratic Party did not respond to a request for comment.

In the book, Adeniyi acknowledges Yar'Adua's ascension to power through a rigged 2007 presidential election. Yar'Adua, already sickly from a chronic kidney condition, weakened quickly under the strain of the presidency.

Those around him tried to protect his image. Adeniyi recounts instructing a cameraman from the state-run television network to film the president from the side only in one instance in 2008 to hide Yar'Adua's swollen face after an allergic reaction.

Yar'Adua then had "minor surgery" in Germany, but could only work a few hours a day, if at all, after the procedure, Adeniyi writes. As he grew sicker, Yar'Adua began receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia with government officials suspecting that "American security agents had penetrated the (German) hospital and had gained access to the president's health profile," according to the book.

At one point during a trip to Togo, the military officer assigned to Yar'Adua had to drape traditional robes over his arm to hide the fact he needed to nearly carry the president off a landing strip, the book claims.

Yar'Adua departure in late November 2009 for a several-month stay at a hospital in Saudi Arabia set up a constitutional crisis that saw government grind to a halt in the OPEC member nation. The National Assembly ultimately voted to empower then-Vice President Jonathan to serve as acting president. Yar'Adua was whisked back into Nigeria's capital Abuja under the cover of darkness days later, apparently unable to talk. He apparently was brought back so those close to Yar'Adua could exert control over Jonathan.

Soldiers deployed to the Abuja airport to escort Yar'Adua home in an ambulance without Jonathan's knowledge, the book claims. The next day, rumors of a possible coup flourished.

"There were fears among (Jonathan's) closest aides he could be shot by the soldiers," the book claims.

It later adds: "Signals from the military were also hazy, with fears that some soldiers could take out both Yar'Adua and Jonathan."

Yar'Adua died on May 5, 2010. Jonathan was sworn in as president the next day.

The book also describes the Yar'Adua-led amnesty program offered to militants in the country's Niger Delta, where foreign oil firms have pumped crude oil for more than 50 years. Despite the billions of dollars earned yearly from oil sales, the region remains desperately poor and polluted.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta was the region's premier militant group, its rise aided by a series of weapons thefts engineered by the group's alleged leader Henry Okah from Nigerian military depots, Adeniyi writes. The theft of thousands of weapons, including pistols, machine guns and rocket launchers, "was so staggering and the crime so well organized that the investigating team could hardly determine the exact amount of arms removed," Adeniyi writes.

Okah, who denies leading the militant group, now faces terrorism charges in South Africa over a dual car bombing Oct. 1, 2010, in Abuja that killed at least 12 people. Six soldiers were sentenced to life in prison over the arms thefts.

http://news.yahoo.com/book-nigeria-president-wilted-away-office-091313621.html

Heard this story too some time back today.
Whilst some of this book's stories have been in the public domain already, the account of an inner circle source will shed more light on those hazy days in Naija history. Though some stuff will be left out in the name of national security.

Nothing special about the book jor. We knew all was not well with UMY before he died.

Can you see how funny and vainous life can be? This Segun of a man served the late leader and benefitted immensely from him. Imagine Segun exposing his master's misfortune for monetry gains, just like judas iscariot did to jesus. Human beings are just animals called man.

Capitalising on another man's woes for fortune. Why didn't he reveal all these to us while the man was alive?

And Segun kept defending  the same health till the man died. Segun should be charged for something, anything,>>>>>>>>>>>>  like blocking democracy and smooth running of the government

It's a step in the right direction. This is a democrazy, we do need to have people that have been in govt. talk about govt. welldone segun.

So why is he now singing like a canary? Relevance-seeking twerp.

damola1:

It's a step in the right direction. This is a democrazy, we do need to have people that have been in govt. talk about govt. welldone segun.

Don't think so,this story has more to do with his former boss health misfortunes,this segun is a disgrace.

Coming now, the book is useless, just like the author.

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ahhahha any suprise where this [b]back stabbing trai[/b]t is coming from

ngbatti ni is this how that republic will be attained?? for where

Its better late than never. The public wishes to know what happened in the last days of the late president.
Never again in the history of this country should such a calamity befall us. The core north has lost political relevance because their elites were unpatriotic, myopic and egocentric during the incident. The NLC was also timid during the incident.

It is very normal for public office holders to publish memoirs after they leave office, even Obasanjo did. Its his account of what went down while he served the nation, so i don't see where the issue of disgrace comes in. While some may not appreciate the book, some others do!

Can't figure any useful

From what I gathered, the book does not put Late Presideant Umaru Yar'adua in bad light, save for the health issue which was exploited by people in the corridors of power and which Yar'adua could not do anything about.

I think we should go read the whole book before casting aspersions at Segun's personality.

Bloody Twerp

medicine after death,

Most frightening aspect for me is the revelation of the thousands of machine guns stolen! This would be done in collusion with some soldiers yet with the realisation that the same arms will be used in killing JTF forces .i.e fellow soldiers! Naija i hail o

[size=25pt]while His sharamuta wife turai phucked half of the PDP bigwigs and pimped out her daughters to the highest bidder(or is it diker?). May he (yaradua) eternally rot in hell cos he took us back to the abacha era. asswipe[/size]

Adeniyi display the act of been a witness in the corridor of power by his revelation, no crime

nonsense!

In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet.

I wonder how Yar Adua cud hav evn bn painted in anykind of light than dark.This was a man that knew he had serious health issues,rather than resign& hand over power to his deputy,he felt more comfortable if d nation burns& his scheming wife& power drunk inner circle turn d nation into a chessboard& set us on d precipice of a calamity.God pass all of them& up there he will face his own judgement.Positive light my a r-se.

The pressure of presidency made him die quick quick.

It's only when you dwell, eat, with and serve the devil that's when you can give account on devil activities, however, the guy is doing the right thing at the right time.

When it matters MOST, you always speak up against EVIL. Gani Fawehinmi, did same. Chinua Achebe, could have kept silent and pick the National Award, but he said NO & he told the rulers of Nigerias that all is not well. Fine, Segun can " serve" his country,but what did he do when it mattered the MOST? When Nigerians looked up to him to come out & say the TRUTH about why the country is ruderless, did he? No. Now he has written what he think is SELLABLE to make money. I'm glad that within the space of 2 years, he showed Nigerians the other side of him. History will JUDGE him, not his BOOK.

SEGUN ADENIYI, wrote so much against any govt, but when it mattered most, he could not talk, pls let him FOREVER remain silent, for all I care, he is a BLOODY HYPOCRITE & he's in the same category of those that LOOTED & destroyed Nigeria. A loser he is.

ikeyman00:

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ahhahha any suprise where this [b]back stabbing trai[/b]t is coming from

ngbatti ni is this how that republic will be attained?? for where

Probably the same backstabbing traits of Walter Ofonagoro and Uche Chukwumerije

Haba People!
For a generation of Nigerians, this is the very first eye witness account of what goes in the corridors of power that they shall be reading. Please, rather than condemn Adeniyi, let us read his account before we begin the abuse and cursing sessions.

the man Yar' Adua is greed that is why he can't manage his health first before money and power, Health is the number one most important thing to man not power or money, Obasanjo push and he pushed himself. Heaven or Hell God knows. well since u died in saudi arabia that mean heaven straight

juman:

The pressure of presidency made him die quick quick.

correct