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Inside story of Yar’Adua
death scare
By IKENNA EMEWU
Saturday, November 28, 2009
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President
Yar'Adua
Photo: The Sun Publishing |
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For the second time in one year, the country was awash with alarm
of the death of President Umar Yar’Adua, who traveled to Saudi
Arabia for medical treatment. Phone calls had come from across the
country and some parts of the world trying to confirm if the rumour
was true.
A caller from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, had called Saturday
Sun, on Wednesday night, saying: “Hello, I want to know if
it true that Yar’Adua (President Umar Musa Yar’Adua)
is dead. It is a common story here.” Many other asked similar
question, as Nigerians panicked that the eventuality may have happened.
However, while President Yar’Adua did not die, it was gathered
that he was actually under intensive care in Saudi Arabia, after
he was admitted into a hospital on Monday.
Sources in Abuja said that even when the president left Nigeria
at the weekend, he was not in the best of health. He was said to
be weak and getting pale, prompting his doctors to advise that he
went abroad for thorough medical examination.
On getting to Saudi Arabia, it was gathered, Yar’Adua was
placed under close monitoring, after series of tests were run. Doctors
at the Saudi hospital confirmed, by Tuesday, that they were still
running test, without going into the details of what was wrong with
the president. However, presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, confirmed
that Yar’Adua had been diagonised of heart problem.
Sources said that the diagonised problem had caused the swelling
of Yar’Adua’s heart, sparking fear that at that rate
a cardiac arrest could occur. It was also gathered that by Thursday,
when the heart condition was diagonised, Yar’Adua was placed
on life-support machine, to reduce the pressure on his heart, coupled
with the fact that he was weak.
Meanwhile, while the rumour over the condition of Yar’Adua
rattled the country, it was gathered that many power brokers in
the North had made a move to confirm it as well as douse the tension
it generated. One influential figure in the North, Saturday Sun
gathered, had called the ADC to Yar’Adua to ascertain the
situation in Saudi Arabia. It was gathered that the ADC confirmed
that although a retinue of doctors were attending to his boss on
Wednesday, he was alive.
With such reassuring news, the influential northerner, who always
keeps close tab on Yar’Adua wherever he is, in turn, told
other people in Nigeria that there was no cause for alarm.
However, while only a few Nigerians knew the true position of things,
regarding the president’s health, the rumour mill had a field
day. Most of those who talked about it did so as if they had authentic
information.
This is not the first time Yar’Adua had been rumoured to have
died.
A few months ago when he traveled to Saudi Arabia for state function
and then decided to do medical check up, the country was agog with
the news that he had died. In fact, the rumour was so strong that
power brokers in the North were said to have met to discuss how
to handle the succession programme. It was only when Yar’Adua
returned, after a while, that Nigerians believed he was alive. The
president that fired the then Secretary to the Government of the
Federal, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe thereafter.
Catalogue of death rumour trailing Yar’Adua
When Yar’Adua showed up in the political scene two years ago,
to vie for presidency, the old rumour received life once again.
While the campaigns were on for the number one seat, Nigeria was
jolted one fateful day with a story that Yar’Adua had died
in a hospital outside the country. It took a phone call to Yar’Adua,
during a political rally, for Nigeria to believe that he was alive.
In September, last year, when Yar’Adua travelled to Saudi
Arabia, the same tale was repeated leaving the country in a franzy.
However, the rumour took some victims, as those fingered in creating
the story and making efforts to replace Yar’adua if he died
got the hammer.
Funny enough, for this third time the rumour is coming while Yar’Adua
is in Saudi Arabia. The big question, therefore, why is there rumour
of death whenever Yar’Adua goes for medical treatment? Sources
say the problem may be the condition of the president, especially
since it is belived that the kidney probelm, which he is said to
have, is a terminal disease.
The fears
A Consultant Surgeon, Dr Emmanuel Enabulele described the president's
diagnosed symptom as very serious condition, which needs a serious
solution for him to survive. In a phone chat he described acute
pericarditis as a developmen, which could lead to acute bi-venticular
situation which could progress to constrictive pericarditis that
could also lead to chronic heart failure if nothing is done.
He explained pericarditis to mean the inflammation of the pericardium,
which is the fibrous sac surrounding the heart, explaining that
this can occur in a situation when the body is reacting to substance
that the President may be taking. Dr Enabulele said the present
situation in which the President is gives cause for Nigerians to
worry, adding that there is need for a heart surgery.
Saturday Sun learnt that pericarditis may be caused by viral, bacterial,
or fungal infection, but the Consultant Surgeon said it may also
be as a situation of troubled heart..
No hajj for the president
Responding to a report on a foreign wire service that Yar'Adua would
perform the hajj, presidential spokesman Adeniyi dismissed it as
not true, pointing out that even before he travelled, he (president)
knew he was not going to perform the hajj.
“Even when I did the first draft of the statement, I stated
that the president will do medicals and undergo Hajj, but he said
no, I am not going to do Hajj. So there is no way he is going to
do Hajj,” Adeniyi said.
On when the president was expected back into the country, he said
“once I know, I will tell you; I will give you an update”.
Meanwhile, Adeniyi said the president had directed the vice president,
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to receive on his behalf the Muslim community
in Abuja today when they pay the traditional Sallah homage.
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