Turai’s last day in Aso Rock
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- Category: Politics
- Published on Monday, 10 May 2010 00:57
- Written by Champion
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Whatever has a beginning, they say, must also have an end. So it was Thursday when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s family began a gradual movement out of Aso Rock Presidential Villa. They commenced the departure as early as 2.00am that ill fated day.
Picture: Turai Yar'Adua
This marks the climax of the long drama, myth and mystery that shrouded late President Yar’Adua’s health status, which finally came to a tragic end late Wednesday when he was pronounced dead.
A 40ft container was sighted coming into the president’s official residence to move their personal belongings out of the villa.
Saturday Champion was reliably informed that with the burial of late President Yar’Adua, Thursday, his wife, Turai, and siblings have begun the process of saying a final goodbye to the Presidential Villa, where she once held onto tenaciously.
For the former First lady, her dream of clinging on to power at the Presidential Villa, an ambition that put the nation’s integrity to test for several months from November 23, 2009 to May 5, 2010, also came to an abrupt end when the late president caved in to the powers of death, a necessary end.
As Nigerians mourn his death, many however, will not forget in a hurry, Turai’s role in the whole saga as she stood like a colossus behind her late husband throughout his sickness but unfortunately, the former president did not survive to say thank you to her for her loyalty and dedication.
But there are many others who believe that some of her actions went a long way to heighten tension in the polity, just as they say her action was unnecessary and the tension avoidable.
Nonetheless, the former first lady was said to have had the backing of a few ‘loyal’ friends of the late president, whose behaviours were motivated more by selfish interest than the need for national unity and cohesion.
From the condolences pouring in however, it is clear that Nigerians loved and believed that late President Yar’Adua was an upright man but it is unfortunate that Nigerians will never be able to know whether the late president would have approved of her actions when he was on his sick bed as some of the actions almost rubbished hard earned family name of the Yar’Aduas.
This is because the former first lady could not distinguish between late President Yar’Adua as a husband and his status as president and therefore a public figure, they argue.
Turai is alleged to have personalised the whole episode so much so that Nigerians were denied knowledge of the issues in her husband’s health - not even Nigerian doctors and at a time the president’s personal physician lost contact with his boss.
President Goodluck Jonathan was also on several occasions at a loss on which answer to give when confronted with the question on the late president’s health.
Saturday Champion however reliably gathered from a source in the Villa that President Goodluck Jonathan is not in a hurry to enter into the presidential residence as he is continuing to operate from his current residence, Aguda house.
"The former First Lady is allowed to stay back to mourn her husband for as long as she wants before she moves out at her own time," our source said.
The love Nigerians have for the late President was further demonstrated by the enthusiasm they displayed to have a glimpse of his remains when it was taken from the Presidential Villa to Katsina for burial via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Up to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, people lined up the street with the hope of having a view of their late president, who they voted for in the 2007 general election.
Saturday Champion also gathered that the new first family, in line with their earlier position that the late president must not be disgraced out of office, have resolved to stand by the family in all that they do.
This is why Nigeria’s new First Lady, Dame Goodluck Jonathan, stood by Hajia Turai throughout the period of the mourning, despite the fact that herself and her husband were not allowed to come close to the sick late president when he was alive
