Nigeria's Missing President?

[davidbfpo]

In a BBC report on Nigeria and the Xmas bomber is a relevant sentence:

President Umaru Yar'Adua is in hospital in Saudi Arabia with a serious heart compliant.

Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8436497.stm

Background to the President:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6187249.stm and includes:

In the past three years he has twice been flown to Germany for emergency treatment and visited hospitals in Saudi Arabia twice.

[Kevin23]

Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua has been missing altogether from the political scene in the country for well over two months, due to an illness which he has been seeking attention for in Saudi Arabia. His absence has created much speculation about Yar'Adua's medical state, including rumors in the Nigerian media that he is brain dead, among others. However all of this it appears if I am stating correctly have created much political and even some religious tension and even the possibility of a potential power vacuum in Nigeria due to the President of Nigeria's absence from the country.

[Kevin23]

Originally Posted by Kevin23

Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua has been missing altogether from the political scene in the country for well over two months, due to an illness which he has been seeking attention for in Saudi Arabia. His absence has created much speculation about Yar'Adua's medical state, including rumors in the Nigerian media that he is brain dead, among others. However all of this it appears if I am stating correctly have created much political and even some religious tension and even the possibility of a potential power vacuum in Nigeria due to the President of Nigeria's absence from the country.

So I was wondering what is really going on with the Nigerian President, and what is the ramifications of all of this if he really is critically ill?

[davidbfpo]

Kevin23,

I'd start with the BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8458751.stm and the links it has. Lots of issues in clear sight and no doubt a few not so easy to discern. I am sure there is a good blogsite on Nigeria, I know nothing alas.

[Beelzebubalicious]

This guardian article has a good overview and consequences
http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&s...radua-goodluck and a recent interview by BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8453988.stm
since it was a phone interview, some think it wasn't yar'adua

[Kevin23]

Earlier yesterday it was learned that the President of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua who has been ill for sometime, has died at age 58.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa...ent/index.html

It will be interesting to see what events if any transpire due to his death, and how this affects the state of affairs in Nigeria even though Vice President Goodluck Johnathan has been de facto President for a while now along with several other figures including the late President's wife.