What is known and accepted is that President Umaru Musa Yar’adua is the "elected President of Nigeria", and that he has suffered a long-term medical condition and that majority of us Nigerians are praying for the recovery of his health. It is also known and accepted that President Yar’adua has not as a result of his medical condition handed over authority to Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Presupposing that President Yar’adua is still fit and able to continue performing his duties as President.
What is not known are the present details of the said medical condition and his exact whereabouts? All information available to Nigerians so far suggests that he is not in Nigeria and not in his office. Several undenied press reports claim that the Saudi Arabian Hospital where he was said to be admitted does not have any records of him as a patient there. The Nigerian people last saw him on 23 November 2009.
We hear that he speaks and communicates with his Government, however under the Nigerian Constitution the People does not elect by the Government but the President. As our President he needs to speak and communicate with us the People.
We the Nigerian People have a right to know what the condition of the President is after 40 days of hospitalization and prayers. We have a right to know his whereabouts. We have a right to proper leadership by a President as defined in the Constitution and not leadership by proxy.
It appears that certain people are determined to take advantage of the traditional complacency of peace loving Nigerians to deny the Nigerian people of their rights to their President.
The result of this action has been a severe injury to the image, integrity and well being of our great country Nigeria.
That our President has been unable to step forward and address both Nigerians and the International community at this epochal period of our history and at a time that Nigeria has been thrust into the limelight of a major International security situation is an irredeemable slur on our national identity.
It is also a disservice to the personal commitment and sacrifice that President Yar’adua has shown in exercising the mantle of leadership as President since May 2007 that he should be absent from office and public view for over 40 days and Nigerians people, officials and institutions expect that the Nation can carry on just fine without him, without missing him, without asking questions about him.
The actual fact is that Nigeria is missing him and the Nigerian people are missing him and therefore we are asking this question: Where exactly is President Yar’adua.
We the people have taken it upon ourselves to ask this question for Nigeria because the institutions that we rely on to ask this question have failed to do so.
The National Assembly has not asked this question.
The Judiciary has not asked this question
The Press has not asked this question
The Civil Society Organizations have not asked this question.
Instead they promote the dangerous fallacy that the presence of President Yar’adua is no longer essential for the direction of the Nigerian state.
We the Nigerian people now find ourselves in a boat without a captain heading towards perilous seas.
One of the most famous political exhortations has been: Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country by John F. Kennedy of the United States.
For any Nigerian who understands and accepts that advice, here is something you can do for your country.
If the Nigerian people cannot confirm the whereabouts and condition of President Yar’adua by Monday morning January 4, 2010, then we will have to demand from whoever is responsible an answer.
We will make this demand by asking the Nation as a whole one simple question.
The question will be asked verbally and by phone, SMS text, email and if possible in the national and online press.
The question will be asked repeatedly and continuously until we have The Answer.
We will ask our associates and ourselves; our seniors and our juniors, our friends and our enemies. We will ask public officers and private citizens and all good people and even bad people of Nigeria.
All patriotic Nigerians are therefore enjoined to this simple task that your country demands of you. Each person should be responsible for asking at least 10 people this question, repeatedly.
The Question is:
Where EXACTLY is President Yar’adua?
Nigerians want to know.
This is the little we can do for our selves and for our Country with your support and cooperation this question will resonate in all social and political discourse as we continue to ask it.
We believe that by this small but consistent action the Nigerian spirit will once again triumph over the numerous challenges we face at home and now abroad.
We Nigerians are peace loving and desire only progress as we enter our 50th year of political freedom and by the grace of God we shall enjoy peace and progress in 2010.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
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Editor's Note: You can also call the Jeddah telephone line of the King Faisal Hospital and ask of Yar'adua's whereabout,; call +966-266-77777
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