Remembering Late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua 10 Years After

On this day ten years ago we lost one of Nigeria’s most loved president Umaru Musa Yar’adua. Nigerians have taken to social media to pay tributes to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the 10th anniversary of his demise.

Yar’Adua, was Nigeria’s 13th President, was sworn in on May 29, 2007.

He died on May 5, 2010, aged 59, a few months after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he was treated for pericarditis.

Before he was elected president on April 21, 2007, he was governor of Katsina State, where current President Muhammadu Buhari hails from.

Nigerians who took to Twitter to remember the late president hailed his “sincerity of purpose”.

Some of the late president’s achievements in the office include reducing the petrol pump price, publicly declaring his assets, increasing the minimum wage, increasing police salary, increasing armed forces salary, increasing NYSC allowance, instituting amnesty program for Niger Delta militants all in less than three years in office.

The late Umar Musa Yar’Adua initiated the amnesty program for Niger-Delta militants.

This program offered unconditional pardon and cash rewards for hundreds of youths who dropped their arms.

Umar Musa Yar’Adua unveiled a seven Point national agenda which includes:

• Critical infrastructural development in power, energy, and transportation
• Focus on development issues in the Niger Delta
• Wealth creation through diversification of the economy and source of government revenue
• Human capital development
• Review of land tenure regulations
• Security
• Food security