I have wondered these last several months at the very fragile health of Alhaji Yar Adua and the willingness of his wife, Mrs. Turai Yar Adua and his family to continue to allow the world to see the progressive physical deterioriation of their loved one. Pardon me but I’ve even been baffled by reports in the press that Mrs. Yar Adua is now in Nigeria to prepare for a daughter’s wedding while the husband lies sick in Arabia. Even if “he’s recuperating” as the woman purportedly has claimed, the fact remains he’s unwell enough to have been in coma and not to be in a condition to travel to Nigeria. How could she?
Even those not related to him but linked by our common humanity flinch – with pity – at various pictures on the web - and even in a certain Nigerian newspaper: from the one from 2008 with a big lesion on the back of his hand to recent ones that show the poor man aging before our very eyes, well beyond his years. These pictures tend to portray these family members as well as well as the political jobbers in government - as being worse than unkind to the man. Why would they not allow him the privacy – AND DIGNITY – of ailing away from public view, and if his illness is one that can be cured, recuperating in the privacy of a good hospital that is not a holding pen/warehouse whose sole qualification for the tons of money it makes is that it affords these vested interests to hide facts about Yar Adua from those to whom it now apparently matters the most: over 150 million Nigerians?
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In spite of my personal feelings like those of millions of Nigerians about Yar Adua – feelings that have always been well-known even when his sponsor, retired General Obasanjo was pushing him on Nigeria – I believe that the man has been poorly served by those close to him. I know that this may be considered none of my business by these people but we all have a big stake in where all the mess will lead the country.
It is time these vested interests release Alhaji Yar Adua from their vice-grips, and thereby free Nigeria from impending disaster.
TOLA ADENLE, December 24, ‘09
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