Turai – Yar’Adua never wanted to be President

As Nigerians remember the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the 13th anniversary of his death, his wife and former First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, has said the husband never liked politics and never wanted to be president.

The late president died on May 5, 2010, exactly 13 years ago.

In a special interview with BBC Hausa, Turai stated that the late President Yar’Adua was a politician by accident as he never wanted to join politics and never planned to be president.

According to the widow of the late President, “All his life, all he ever wanted was to be a teacher, come home from school, sit with his family, and crack jokes till dusk. He wanted no politics or governance but as Allah wills, he joined politics and became the president.”

On how much she misses her husband, especially on the anniversaries of his death, she said: “I think about Yar’Adua every day, and it’s the same for me, anniversary or no anniversary – I think about him and miss him every single day.

“But I am happy on such anniversary days because the nation talks about him, and people across the country come together to say good things about him and pray for him. That truly gladdens my heart”.

Recalling the day he died, Turai narrates, “After he fell sick, I started fasting every day, and on that faithful May 5, 2010, at about iftaar time, I held his hands and told him, I am stepping out for iftaar and he nodded.
“A few minutes into my iftaar somewhere close, I was called back and I came back and met him gone. I still think I shouldn’t have gone for that iftaar. I should have stayed.

“But I thank the Almighty Allah for honouring me with Yar’Adua as a husband. It is the biggest privilege of my life and I am forever grateful to have spent a reasonable part of my life with this honourable man.

“Yar’Adua is a very simple man. He is humble and down to earth; he almost doesn’t care about comfort or luxury. Even as a governor, I remember he wore a particular wristwatch for months until the leather of the watch tore up. Yar’Adua is like that.

“He is a very good family man and he treats me and the children like royalties. I remember my first trip after his death. I got to my destination and kept staring at my phone but there was no call from him or anyone to ask how I landed. I cried no end that night,” she explained.