Pres. Yar’Adua had traveled to Jeddah, supposedly for the lesser hajj and was supposed to proceed from there to Brazil for a state visit. The President’s failure to proceed on his state visit to Brazil led to a flurry of speculations and forced the Information Minister and his Foreign Affairs counterpart to declare that the President was hale and hearty. The duo could not give Nigerians any convincing reason why the state visit to Brazil was aborted thereby fueling more speculations about the president’s health.  

Towards the end of last week there were rumors that the president’s health had taken a turn for the worse. Some reports told Nigerians that the president had undergone kidney transplant in Jeddah. Our official sources hinted that the president would return to Nigeria on Tuesday. A medical doctor and top government official told Elendureports.com in Port Harcourt: “There is no way the president would have undergone a kidney transplant and a few days later fly to Nigeria. It is almost medically impossible.” 

Nobody within the Nigerian government, other than those who traveled with the President, can tell Nigerians the true situation of Yar’Adua’s health. They are not to blame. Pres. Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s has continued to operate as a recluse and often times it is even difficult for those who are supposed to function closely with him to reach him. Hence, while most of the news outlets have reported rumors, official government sources have fueled these rumors as they have little or no access to credible information. 

Elendureports.com has been talking to sources in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and this is the much we know. The President arrived Jeddah and was immediately taken to King Abdulazeez University Teaching Hospital. There he spent 24 hours and “had some blood work done.”  

On Monday another source in Saudi Arabia told our reporter that the President would not be in Nigeria the next day, contrary to official information. The source informed our reporter that the president had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit of King Fahd Hospital for further observation. The source informed us that the president’s presence at the hospital led to an increase in security personal deployed around the hospital and the surrounding streets. The source who spoke in halting English said “we take care of your president well but he no come tomorrow ok.” 

Gov. Ibrahim Shema’s trip to Saudi Arabia this night may unleash another flurry of rumors and speculations. According to a source with knowledge of the governor’s trip, “why is Gov Shema going to meet the president if the man is supposed to be coming back any time now? You must agree that this trip arouses some curiosity.” 

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