There are women and there are mother’s. This woman is considered to be mother of Nigeria’s democratic system. She is one of a kind, and surprisingly she still lives.
The aged woman pictured above is known as Hajia Dada Yar’Adua, the matriarch of the Yar’Adua family.
She was married to Musa Yar’Adua, a former Minister in Nigeria.
Her son, Shehu Musa Yaradua, was Vice President from 1979-1981. Another son of hers, Umaru Musa Yaradua, was Governor of Katsina State for 8 years 1999-2007, and later President of Nigeria 2007-2009 when he died.
Her grandson, Alhaji Murtala Shehu Yaradua, was a Minister between 2009-2011 and lastly, three of her granddaughters were wives of Governors of three different states.
Let’s take a look at a brief biography of one of her son, The Eldest
Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (March 5, 1943 – December 8, 1997) was a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters under General Olusegun Obasanjo’s 1976 – 1979 military government.
Early life and education
Yar’Adua was born in Katsina into a titled Fulani family. His father, Musa Yar’Adua , was a teacher who later became the Minister for Lagos Affairs from 1957 to 1966 during Nigeria’s First Republic. He held the
chieftaincy title of the Mutawallin Katsina (keeper of the treasury). Yar’Adua’s grandfather, Mallam Umaru, was also the Mutawalli, and his younger brother Umaru, who became the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2007, held the title as well.
Yar’Adua attended Katsina Middle School and then Katsina Provincial School (now Government College, Katsina) for his secondary education; at the provincial school, he was classmates with current Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari . At the urging of his father and his father’s friend, the defense minister
Muhammadu Ribadu , Yar’Adua took the entrance exam of the Nigerian Military Training College. He passed and was enlisted in the army in 1962 as part of the course 5 intake of the Nigerian military training school. Yar’Adua was selected for further training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Sandhurst , England.
Military career
In 1964, after he returned from Sandhurst, Yar’Adua was posted to the first infantry battalion of the Nigerian Army in Enugu under the command of Col Adekunle Fajuyi as second lieutenant. From 1964 to the end of the Nigerian Civil War , he held various positions including platoon commander in 1964, and from 1965 to 1966 adjutant of the First Infantry Battalion in Enugu. He was a battalion commander in 1967, and in 1968 became a Brigade Commander. During the civil war, he commanded the 6th infantry brigade under the leadership of Murtala Mohammed , commander of the second division.
In October 1967, Yar’Adua was given the responsibility for the capture of Onitsha after two (2) unsuccessful attempts by the Nigerian troops.
Yar’Adua became a Lt Col in 1972. In 1975, he was an active participant in the coup that deposed Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria’s Head of State. After the success of the coup, he served as Transport Minister in General Murtala Mohammad’s regime. As Transport Minister his major task was to decongest the Lagos port. Prior to the coup, officials of the previous regime had ordered 16 million tonnes of cement to build military barracks around the country. However, the berthing facilities of the port were inadequate. The financial implications became more striking because the Nigerian government was liable to pay demurrage fees by the shippers. The Mohammed regime decided to transfer some of the cargoes to neighboring ports and introduce cement management firms to clear and sell the cement and build the new Tin Can Island Port .
UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (16 August 1951 – 5 May 2010) was the 13th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria . He was governor of Katsina State in
northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007.
He was declared the winner of the controversial
Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. He was a member of the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2009, Yar’Adua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis . He returned to Nigeria on 24 February 2010, where he died on 5 May.
Family and personal life
First Lady Turai Yar’Adua .
Early life and education
Yar’Adua was born into an aristocratic Fulani family in
Katsina; his father, Musa Yar’Adua , was a Minister for
Lagos in the First Republic and held the chieftaincy title of Matawalle (or custodian of the royal treasury) of the
Katsina Emirate, a title which Yar’Adua inherited. He started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962.
He attended the Government College at Keffi from 1965 until 1969. In 1971 he received a Higher School Certificate from Barewa College. He attended
Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria from 1972 to 1975, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree in Education and Chemistry, and then returned in 1978 to pursue an
M.Sc. degree in Analytical Chemistry.
Family
Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua married Turai Umaru Yar’Adua of
Katsina in 1975; they had seven children (five daughters and two sons). Their daughter Zainab is married to Kebbi State governor Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari. Their daughter Nafisa is married to
Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda. Their daughter Maryam is married to Katsina State governor Ibrahim Shema. Yar’Adua was married to Hauwa Umar Radda as a second wife from 1992 to 1997.
They had two children all his grandchildren from both wives are umar, anisa, maryam, mima, umar, musa, hammed, umar, hannad , umar and anisa.
Abalu’le Ado is Here.
