Memorial Lecture: Late Yar’Adua Was A Practical Leader, Lover Of Peace, Says Turai

Former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, yesterday said that her husband, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was passionate about the peace, unity and corporate existence of the Nigerian nation.

Speaking at the 2nd Yar’Adua Memorial Lecture, organised in memory of the late president, Hajiya Turai maintained that her husband was “a practical leader who wanted peace in the entire country”.

In her words: “Umar may mean different things to different people but, to me, he was a humble, loving and caring husband with an unmatched love for the nation”.

Turai, who condemned the abduction of female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, urged Nigerians to intensify prayers to Almighty God to rescue the innocent girls and reunite them with their parents.

She also urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the peace, unity and stability of the country.

Earlier in a memorial lecture entitled: ‘An Evaluation and Contributions of Governor Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s Educational Development in Katsina State’, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Munzali Jibril described the late Yar’Adua as ”a humble leader, honest and exemplary leader”.

The don recalled that the late president had introduced different policies and programmes that helped to revamp education in Katsina State during his tenure as governor of the state.

“The late President Yar’adua was a perfectionist and wanted everything to be perfect”, he said, and urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the repose of his soul.

Information Nigeria reports that there was an outpour of tributes at the event as speaker after speaker extolled the virtues of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in May 2010 after suffering health challenges.