Since last week when the news of President Musa Yar’Adua’s latest invalidity hit the newsstands, I have been distraught, disillusioned and despaired. My pain was further worsened when it was wickedly rumoured that he had died. It took the persistent rebuttals by the   Presidency to douse the palpable tension that had gripped the nation. The rapidity with which the unfortunate rumour spread tells a definite story of the gradual degeneration of our great nation into a rumour-miller. This is not the first time that the president was rumoured dead. It happened in 2007- less than two months to his swearing-in.

My worry is: Why do some people wish the president dead? What has he done to deserve this evil wish for his death? The peddlers of the devious rumour are nothing but sadists and deviants. What joy will anybody derive from the death of another person, let alone the president of a nation? Yar’Adua is not the first serving president to take ill. The great George Washington – the first president of the United States – took ill a number of times before the end of his tenure. In each case, nobody rumoured that he was dead.  

Ill-health is not blamable on anybody – it is a situation beyond any man’s capacity. Anybody, for that matter – can take ill at anytime, anywhere without pre-warning. Some persons had died suddenly without any morbid signs. So, what is wrong in Yar’Adua taking ill unexpectedly? The issue is definitely being over-amplified, probably by his political adversaries, to score cheap points.

I have also wondered why the rumour of the death of the president should be tied to the alleged pressure on Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to resign. Reading between the lines depicts unambiguously that the script was written and promoted by a clique bent on fomenting trouble in the country. Jonathan has never posed any barrier to anybody’s political ambition. He is the vice president of Nigeria and occupies the office in accordance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Trivializing the issue of the president’s illness by peddling the rumour that the vice president was being pressured to resign was not only mischievous but callous and dastardly. The simple deduction to make from all that is happening over the president’s sickness is that many of those who parade themselves as his friends are really his enemies. All that concerns them for now is not the president’s quick recovery but who may succeed him in the event of death.

I am glad that God has always disappointed these selfish and greedy Nigerians who wish Yar’Adua dead by prolonging his life. It is when they wish him dead that he blossoms with life and vivacity. Who among these evil rumour-mongers would have believed that Yar’Adua would be alive till date? They had thought that he would have been dead by now so that they could execute their satanic agenda on setting Nigeria on fire.

I may belong to a different party with the president but that will never make me to wish him evil. I see him first as the president of Nigeria before ever considering his political inclination. His emergence as president was entirely a divine matter. He would not have been there in the first place if God had not wished it. God in His infinite grace placed him where he is today and as such nobody has the moral justification to begrudge him. This is why I have always prayed for him to succeed. If he succeeds it will be good for all of us and if he fails all of us will suffer the consequence.   
  
Even the critics of the president owe him a duty to give him some respite, especially at this time of his sickness. They should learn to separate politics from a serious, sensitive national issue as the president’s ill-health. What is obtainable in other climes is that the people engage in collective prayer for the quick recuperation of their president, irrespective of their political, religious or tribal dispositions. This is what I expect every Nigerian should do.
It is not within the human realm for anybody to say when the president will die. The same obtains for every one of us. Matters of life and death are entirely divine. God who created him and all of us knows His purpose for him/us. I have sought God’s face in this matter and he has assured me that the president will be well soon to return to his work.

Those who wish the president dead have failed to consider the consequences. Let us assume God grants their wish and the president dies (God forbid it!), the nation will suffer untoward consequences. Apart from causing disquiet and dislocation in the country’s political equilibrium and stability, it will also create an immediate vacuum, which may be difficult to fill, considering the subtle threats from different quarters to his succession by Jonathan, even when the constitution is very clear on the process of succession. To avoid this visible threat and other unseen ones, we should pray that the president does not die, at least to enable him to complete his tenure.

As I have often written in this column, what Yar’Adua needs most at this point is our understanding and constant prayer for God to intervene in his condition and heal him. There is nothing impossible for God to do for those who trust in Him. He is ever ready to draw us closer to Himself and heal us of our illnesses. We suffer from all kinds of persecution and debilities because of our failure to bring our burden unto God in prayer. God is full of love and compassion and His mercy has no end.

As much as the president is encouraged to continue to seek medical solution to his ailment, I still believe that resorting to fasting and prayer is a better option. Those who underestimate the efficacy of prayer may not appreciate the import of my proposition. It has worked for me and it can work for Mr. President. It may not be out of place to call for a national day of prayer for the recovery of the president, the peace and stability of our nation and the banishment of the evils that torment our people. Corruption, kidnapping, prostitution, robbery, cultism, and other social ills are all products of evil possession.

I recall in 1983 when the nation was in the throes of impending anarchy. I mean the height of the agitation for the actualization of the June 12 Presidential Election. The nation prayed together and God spared our unity and sovereignty. That tells you something about the potency of collective prayer. It is this spirit of community prayer that we need to apply each moment we are faced with the daunting challenges of life. There is no way the president’s life can remain the same if 140 million people unite in prayer for him. I challenge him to submit himself to this pattern of healing and see if he will not be cured.

Deep inside me, I am not a very happy man, because of the state of Yar’Adua’s health. I know the nation would have benefitted more from his wealth of experience if he had not had the present predicament. Those who do not know Yar’Adua may not know that he is a very unique man. Forget about the so-called slowness ascribed to him. He may not be a hyperactive leader, but he is a very good man. He has been my friend for several years and was in the forefront of those who insisted that I should be conferred with the prestigious traditional title of MAIYAKI KATSINA by the late Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Kabiru Usman. Our three-day stay in Katsina opened my eyes to the generosity and camaraderie of Yar’Adua. He was an extraordinary host, loved by his people.

Yar’Adua may be slow, but he is methodical. He has a single mind and this has guided many of his actions, especially those bordering on key policy-making framework. Even though his 7-point agenda is too ambitious, he has managed to show some leadership in some areas. I know that I could have done many things differently if I were to be in his position as president, but this does not amount to incompetence on his part. For now, he has assured the nation of reasonable improvement in power generation this month. We are all looking forward with eager expectation to the actualization of this promise.
In my estimation, the biggest challenge facing Yar’Adua is the conduct of free and fair elections in 2011, beginning with the Anambra Governorship election next year. He should not allow political hawks to stampede him into rigging the election in Anambra State next year because the people will resist it. I learned that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a powerful team to deliver its candidate Chukwuma Soludo. I do not see anything wrong in picking a team to discharge a specific assignment. But everything is wrong in choosing the Vice President to head the committee. Goodluck Jonathan is the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not that of PDP.

It is this kind of grandstanding that makes me detest PDP. Does the party need the Vice president to win Anambra State Governorship election for it? It would be very damaging for the VP to lead such a formidable team and still fail, which is what will definitely happen. Anambra people need clean break from the past. As far as the state is concerned PDP has nothing tangible to offer in the effort to reposition the state. Anambra State presents a peculiar challenge to any party that wants to make an impact. We in the Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA) have designed a programme that will transform the state and make it the pride of all in the foreseeable future. From available studies, it is only the PPA that has the moral and mental capacity to develop Anambra State. The other two parties, like the PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have nothing serious to offer. While APGA is embroiled in intra-party imbroglio, the PDP is masquerading as the saviour of the people when in essence it is a nest of wolves.

I would not like to dissipate my energy writing on the inconsistencies of PDP. But one thing is certain: the party has no plans to move Nigeria forward. All it is interested in is to control power at all costs, while leaving many Nigerians impoverished.

It is not my intention to join issues with the campaigners of Yar’Adua for second term. But all I have to tell them is to withhold their campaign and pray first for the President to recover. Campaigning for a second term for him is not only distractive but insensitive to the mood of the moment. Those who engage in this campaign are more interested in their pocket than the progress of the nation. They care no hoot about the tumbling economic fortunes of the nation or the sufferings of the majority. They want Yar’Adua to remain in office irrespective of his state of health – provided they get what they want.
The only thing that gives me joy is that Yar’Adua is a very tactful man. He knows how to deal with such situations. Nevertheless, I will urge him to rise up to the challenges posed by Olusegun Obasanjo’s meddlesomeness in his administration. As things stand now Obasanjo is a sore pain in Yar’Adua’s neck. He should have the courage to call him to order and tame his excesses. I am pained that Obasanjo still walks the streets a free man when he should be languishing in jail as one of those that destroyed the economy of this great nation. Allowing him to do whatever he likes sends the wrong signal about our country to the outside world.

Let me commend our military for their professionalism and maturity in the face of recent development. They should intensify effort in the area of training and retraining of their manpower. Professionalization of the military is the thing now in vogue in many advanced countries. This makes coups generally unfashionable. I urge them to remain focused and refrain from anything that will make them attracted to political power again.         

I have a short prayer I have written for the quick recovery of our dear president. I invite you to join me to say these prayers:
God Almighty, you know the hearts of all men and our weaknesses. Without you, Father, there is nothing we can do. We pray for our dear President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua whom you have put in the helm of affairs in our dear country at this critical time. I bring him and his family and the entire nation to you for special blessing. Forgive him his trespasses and heal him of this illness. It is only you that can kill and make alive again.

We stand on the authority of your word to decree liberty for him from all satanic forces that torment him. Draw him closer to you as he grapples with the numerous challenges facing our nation at this time. Grant him the courage and wisdom to do that which is right at all times and to take decisions that will advance the cause of democracy. Above all, prolong his life. Don’t allow his enemies to gloat over his misery and grant victory over his adversaries. At the end of his fruitful sojourn here on earth, may he be found worthy to join the choirs of angels in heaven. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.