Illness took shine off Yar’Adua’s achievements, says Jonathan

By Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja  

•Dr Jonathan receiving a copy of the book from Adeniyi... yesterday

•‘Ex-President championed bank reforms, PIB others’

The illness and eventual death of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua took the shine off his administration’s success  within its short period, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

Dr Jonathan was the Vice-President in the late Yar’Adua administration.

The President said some achievements recorded by the administration had been reduced to mere footnotes. 

Jonathan spoke when the former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late Yar’Adua, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, presented him a copy of his book: Power, Politics and Death, at the State House, Abuja.

The book is to be made public today.

The President decried a situation where Yar’Adua’s death became the issue  rather than records of the good work. 

Dr Jonathan said his former principal’s death should have been treated better, noting that every human being would die one day.

The President praised Adeniyi for documenting the events of the last administration.

The book is Adeniyi’s account of what transpired, especially behind the scene, during the Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency.

Dr Jonathan described the book as attractive and capable of compelling critical minds to read, urging Adeniyi to do more.

Jonathan said: “I believe this book will attract a lot of interests. I believe journalists will want to read it quickly. It makes me to remember the accounts of the Civil War. The first account that came out was My Command by Olusegun Obasanjo. The second came from Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu - Because I was Involved - an account from his own perspective.

“I know that when people read this book, maybe some of the key actors will also come out with their accounts because they were involved.”

Adeniyi told the President that he wrote the book because the narrative of Yar’Adua’s administration had been reduced to his illness and death.

He said: “I believe that there is more to the Yar’Adua presidency, of which you (Jonathan) were an integral part, than his illness and death.

“There were a couple of things that were done and I feel I should document them. Even the narrative on his illness and death because of the politics involved, I don’t believe the accounts have been accurate. I decided to put the record straight as somebody who witnessed some of the drama.” 

Adeniyi said some of the achievements recorded by the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration include reforms in the banking sector, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and peace in the Niger Delta, through the amnesty programme.

He brought a copy of the book to the President ahead of today’s public presentation “as a mark of honour”.

 SOURCE: The Nation, 13 December 2011. http://www.thenationonlineng.net