allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Yar'Adua is Hale And Hearty

Hon. Sani Dabai is a member of the House of Representatives representing Danja/Bakori federal constituency of Katsina State. He was a five-time chairman of Danja Local Government Area before moving to the lower legislative chambers. In this interview with our reporters, Golu Timothy and Isma'il Tahir Funtua, Dabai says there is nothing wrong with President Yar'Adua, and that the President's health problem is normal. Excerpts:

Can you assess the one year administration of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

If I am to respond to the question of how well his Excellency, the mattawallen Katsina and the President, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has fared in his almost one year in office, I really don't know where to start.But let me begin by saying that I have known the president 30 years back, but I got closer to him in 1999 when he became the executive governor of Katsina State. Our relationship got very strong all through the 8 years he served as the executive governor of our state, and that is because I also served as the chairman of Danja local government area of Katsina State for the entire duration he served as a governor.For that reason, I can confidently say that I know this Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua very well and up till this moment,we are learning so much from his leadership examples.

When you take critical and religious look at the first 12 months of President Yar'Adua,you will notice that there is a significant positive difference about the way he has administered the affairs of this country.You don't need to be told to believe in what the direction of the man is. Even the blind can hear and smell what is happening.I can conveniently say,without any fear of contradiction,that the 12 months Yar'Adua has been in office is better than the eight years former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent in power.He has provided the kind of leadership that was scarce under his predecessor.Today,people are singing his songs and hailing him across the nation.The entire country is his constituency and he has not been accused of doing any favour to a section of the country. His rule of law principles has added value to the psyche of the people and returned order to the way we do things.

Yar'Adua does not compromise on the rule of law and he is very human in his approach. He doesn't give bribe neither does he collect bribe from anyone.As far as am concerned, he one of the cleanest leaders we've had in this country.

When you look back to the 8 years he spent as the executive governor of Katsina State, there is no govenor during his time, among the 36 governors across the federation, that recorded such an achievement as governor of Katsina State because he was very honest, transparent and accountable for every penny spent during his tenure.

Look at the level of despair of our refineries. President Yar'Adua collected back the people owned refineries which former President Obasanjo illegally sold to himself or is it his friends, after they have been described as dysfunctional and unoperational for eight years. President Yar'Adua reversed the sale and has now brought them back to near full operations. Look at the flexible and transparent manner in which he allowed us and the Senators to present the budget and the whole thing was finally signed, much to the joy of all Nigerians depsite the little hitches,look at the way he handled the Patricia Etteh saga.

His seven-point agenda is the best blue print the nation has had.It covers security, education, agriculture, health, human development and the infrastructure, Niger Delta. Again, the Niger Delta crisis which has been mishandled for the past 8 years is now getting the attention it deserved under President Yar'Adua, and we can see that some smiles are already being put on the faces of the people of the region. He is also planning to declare a state of emergency on the power sector. The revelations emanating from how the power sector was mismanaged is a good testimony of that. He has improved the welfare and packages of security operatives which has equally led to improvement of the country's security situation and he will still do more.He also established the police reform committee. Look at the revolution and evolutions currently taking place in the mining and agricultural sector within his short stay in office. Today, we have an organised and viable petroleum ministry, for almost the entire 8 years Obasanjo spent in power, we didn't have any minister of petroleum. Imagine the way Yar'Adua handled and addressed the fuel price crisis. Obasanjo threw this country into 3 days crisis before he handed over power last year.

I believed this is just a tip of the iceberg.By the time the president spends four years, Nigerians will beg him to run for a second term. I can assure Nigerians that they haven't seen anything yet, because President Yar'Adua is the man that will reposition the Nigerian economy and take us to the dream land by the grace of Allah. By that time, the whole world would be asking"who is this magic man Ya'Adua?" Because of the greatness he will lead this country to.

What is your position on the petition by the candidates of the ANPP(General Mohammadu Buhari)and AC,(Alhaji Atiku Abubakar),challenging the election of the President?

My position on the issue of General Mohammadu Buhari and former vice president Atiku Abubakar going to the Supreme Court after the Appeal Court verdict has gone in favour of President Yar'Adua. I think the aggrieved candidates should just take the verdict in good faith and let them allow us to make progress in governance because in every election, a winner and a looser must emerge.After all, President Yar'Adua has, out of his transparent and humble nature, set an electoral reform committee to address the flaws and irregularities that affected the election process of the country, so that future elections can be properly conducted and evenly contested . I am sure by the time the committee is done with its work, the country will have a standard electioneering process in place which will further nourish the country's democracy.

On the issue of the President's health,what do you have to say?

The issue of President Yar'Adua's state of health could be worrying and at times, funny because of the way it is being exaggerated and blown out of proportion. But the natural fact remains that it's only almighty Allah that gives good health to whom He so wishes and takes away the life of whom He so wishes. President Yar'Adua's state of health is never alarming as it is been portrayed. It's a normal illness common to all humans that requires medical attention periodically. Afterall, everyone falls sick. I even perceived that the opposition are the ones fuelling, exaggerating and sponsoring it,in order to discourage the President from properly carrying out his functions and duties. This whole hue and cry about President Yar'Adua's health is because they do not have anywhere to fault his style of leadership now or even before now. If the perpetrators of this sabortage continue with their act, aiming at pulling the President backwords, he is not the one they are pulling backward but the country at large. In fact ,with all the hype about his health, he has never missed any function.As am talking to you now,Yar'Adua is healthy and hearty.How will any one say a president who is always attending to his duties and responsibilities is not healthy?I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians that health, good life, death and sickness, are all in the hands of Allah (God).

Secondly, I urge those who are fond of exaggerating on the president's health condition, to instead, pray for him to acquire good health so that he can continue to steer the country's ship of leadership in the positive way he has been doing. This is my advice to these people and the whole of Nigerians.

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