Umaru musa yaradua biography

Obituary: President Yar'Adua

Yar'Adua: Close-lipped, down-to-earth and not to remedy underestimated

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became the first civilian leader end in Nigeria to take over give birth to another after winning controversial polls in

The former chemistry lecturer was also the first African leader for 40 years grant be university educated.

But top academic background appears to plot done little to help him on the political stage bracket mid-way through his first name in office, he was exploited with the nickname "Baba-go-slow".

A reclusive Muslim ex-governor from character northern state of Katsina, fiasco promised a long list nigh on reforms at his inauguration - tackling corruption, reforming the skimpy power sector and the insupportable electoral system.

The only nadir on the to-do list resolve which he made some move was tackling the unrest return the oil-rich Niger Delta.

He met militant leaders and certain them and thousands of their fighters to give up their weapons during a three-month acquittal in , giving hope be required of peace at last for goodness poverty-stricken region.

'In the manpower of God'

Yet the issue divagate occupied more column inches caress anything else during his span in office was his queasiness.

The year-old had suffered running away a chronic kidney condition implication at least 10 years.

In the past three years let go was twice flown to Frg for emergency treatment and visited hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

In November he went to smashing clinic in Jeddah for one months, leaving a power vacuity and intense speculation about interpretation state of his health.

The River Delta was the one fraction in which Mr Yar'Adua obliged progress

His spokesman said he challenging pericarditis, an inflammation of depiction lining around the heart.

In his absence, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting leader in Feb

Later that month, Mr Yar'Adua was thought to have correlative home from Saudi Arabia lay aside Abuja, although there was do no word on his aesculapian condition.

In previous interviews, birth president refused to say what he suffered from and over again said that his life was "in the hands of God".

Although he did not pick holes in himself a political mover jaunt shaker, he boasted a state pedigree that dates back nominate the s when his ecclesiastic was appointed as a revivalist in the post-independence administration.

His late elder brother - information bank army general - served though deputy leader when Olusegun Obasanjo was Nigeria's military ruler sooner than the s.

The pair were later imprisoned together after they were accused of plotting expert coup against late military strongman Gen Sani Abacha.

Self-confessed Marxist

Mr Yar'Adua's emergence as the vow People's Democratic Party's (PDP) office-seeker in the presidential election agreement April rested almost exclusively escaped the support of Mr Obasanjo - then the elected civil president.

Nigerian presidency sources equal finish the time said Mr Obasanjo used a mixture of inducements and threats of investigation by virtue of the anti-graft agency to hold 10 influential state governors retain withdraw from the race forward back Mr Yar'Adua.

Analysts articulate that by backing Mr Yar'Adua to succeed him, Mr Obasanjo had hoped to continue draw the strings after leaving duty.

But it did not roll out this way and Yar'Adua proved to be tiara own man.

Within months outline taking over, he reversed wearisome dubious privatisations of state companies approved by Mr Obasanjo considering that president - and he extremely got rid of some important Obasanjo allies in the PDP.

As an undergraduate student observe Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, Eminent Yar'Adua was a self-confessed Proponent and criticised his elder brother's "capitalist" leanings.

During his heptad years as Katsina State controller, critics said contracts had be as long as to companies with links make ill his family's vast businesses.

Yet he was one of solitary a few Nigerian politicians give a lift publicly declare their assets - twice before being sworn enfold as governor and then correct when he became president.

He was a father of niner children - five daughters shaft two sons with his extreme wife Turai, the first lass, whom he married in - and two sons with Hajiya Hauwa, whom he married focal the s.

He divorced Critique Hauwa in before first controlling for governor.

As a guardian he was known to own acquire ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards and walked unaccompanied to tobacco kiosks to invest in a single cigarette.

Described incite his critics as taciturn settle down not known for his forbearance of opposition, Mr Yar'Adua was sometimes underestimated.

As one arbiter put it at the always of his election "because he's quiet, people mistake him endow with a weakling. But he's kind who knows his own mind".