February 1, 2009
Contrary to tales by moonlight that he was taking a vacation and would spend it visiting the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross Rivers State, as well as his home state of Katsina and Dodan Barracks in Lagos, Umaru Yar'adua is reportedly still in the trenches in the Aso Rock Villa.His aides say he is waiting for Jonathan to return from Ethiopia, where he is attending a meeting of the African Union. At that time, they say he may then leave for Obudu on Wednesday, and return on Sunday.
But in an obvious bare-faced deception, Thisday newspaper claimed in a front-page report last week that Yar'adua had left Obudu for the burial of Governor Bello Ali of Yobe state. Our checks reveal, however, that this is patently untrue, and that Yar’Adua has not been to the Obudu cattle ranch in his life.
In Aso Rock, where he is paradoxically holding his so-called leadership in wait for his subordinate, authoritative sources told Saharareporters he has embarked on a series of orthodox and unorthodox treatments for his medical ailments. SaharaReporters, and subsequently other news outlets, had reported he was going to be taking significant time out to obtain medical treatment abroad, but that suddenly became a “vacation” in Nigeria last week.
Our reporters said that by last night, the first day of February, Cross River State officials were not in anyway in the mood or prepared to receive Yar'Adua into the state. The state governor, Liyel Imoke, was in Lagos yesterday, but he later returned to Calabar on an early after noon flight, with no indication on the ground for a reception for Yar'adua at Obudu Ranch as earlier announced by his aides.
Saharareporters had reported that Yar'adua was billed for a prolonged medical trip abroad with particular preference for a kidney transplant center in the US, but various media reports and reports of plots by politically-ambitious persons, especially from the Northern block, forced him to abort those plans.
Instead, his aides said he would embark on a "vacation" in Nigeria. Yar'adua's last minute cancellation of his travels abroad also affected a program at the Voice of America (VOA) headquarters in Washington, DC on January 29th that organizers had announced that the "First Lady," Turai Yar'adua, would participate in. She sent in a last minute replacement.
Other controversies dogging Yar'adua's “vacation” include his refusal to inform the Nigerian Senate about his travel plans as required by section 145 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Yar'adua also reversed his purported handover to his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, and sent him off to Addis Ababa to represent Nigeria at the annual African Union meeting.
Saharareporters learnt that Yar'adua is now hostage to "primordial beliefs" in Islamic marabouts now quartered within the premises of the Aso rock Villa, who have advised him to shun orthodox medical intervention and rely more on spiritual treatments. A Saudi-based Nigerian woman known as "Umah" is administering daily doses of spiritual cure, according to Aso Rock sources.
Our reports last week had led the First lady to remove her from the living quarters, she is now located at the "House 7" residence where incidentally some state–of-the art medical equipment are reportedly located. It is not known if Yar'Adua will step out of Abuja before the end of his controversial vacation on Friday, according to the calendar provided by his spokespersons.
Sources in the Aso Rock Villa told Saharareporters that a foreign trip for Yar'adua is still very high on the cards as his health has reportedly deteriorated in the last few weeks.
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