Former president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua, led Nigeria between May 29, 2007 and May 5, 2010.Undoubtedly, Yar’adua’s three years as president were legendary, basically due to his frugal disposition to life, meticulousness to details and commitment to service.Many Nigerians believed Yar’adua meant well for the country, but not a few also raised concerns over what they saw as his slow approach to governance and therefore named him “Baba Go slow.”Nevertheless, his administration had carved a niche for itself through his unprecedented respect for the rule of law and due process.After his departure, the country he led experienced so many betrayals, as some would say.His erstwhile deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, was sworn in as president after the death of the ailing commander-in-chief. Jonathan earlier served as acting president through the National Assembly’s‘doctrine of necessity’ which, according to many, saved the country from constitutional crisis.With a new man in charge, some of Yar’adua’s policies, would have led Nigeria to greatness, were controversially reversed. Even the power rotation that brought him to power was trampled upon.The new cabinet was peopled by many faces and all the Yar’adua’s men, who were said to have caged him, were sacked. It was a new regime, new policies and new strategies. The then all powerful first lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’adua, was humbled in the president’s hometown, Katsina.The entire president’s men, popularly known as the cabal (courtesy of late Professor Dora Akunyili), were equally humbled. Yar’adua is todayremembered by many, if not all Nigerians, for good or bad.In the Niger Delta for instance, if the political class seems to have forgotten him, the youth, particularly those that took arms against the statewill never forget him.Yar’adua was the one who rolled out the AmnestyProgramme which saw hundreds of them going abroad for studies and professional training.Many of them have since returned to Nigeria as reformed citizens while others are making positive impact in various fields of endeavour across the world.Yar’adua deconstructed power because he was not intoxicated by it, a fact that even his critics have attested to. He did not pay lip service to the rule of law and due process he preached.Under his watch, the courts regained their freedom. They handed down verdicts that cancelled political victories even though his party,the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the victim.AchievementsDespite Yar’adua’s ill-health, he pioneered laudable projects across the country.• Initiated various 10 lane express road• The Abuja metro lane• Abuja-Kaduna rail• Lagos-Kano rail• Dredging of River Niger, which was abandoned for decades.• Appointed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi the governor of the Central Bank.• Reversed some of ex-president Obasanjo’s decisions considered to be against the national interest such as the sale of three refineries.• Fought corruption in his own way.• Pioneered the policy of returning unspent funds to the national treasury at the end of the fiscal year• Prosecuted and jailed those believed to be above the law e.g his party chieftain, Chief Olabode George.• Released the N10 billion Lagos State local government councils’ funds withheld by Obasanjo.Low pointsDespite these high sounding achievements, it was during his administration that the prejudicial murder of Muhammad Yusuf and hundreds of hisBoko Haram followers in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi states was carried out in July, 2009, a development that culminated in the many years that Nigeria has been battling with insurgency.
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