The Coalition of Pro-Democracy Activists in West Africa, has called on the Federal Government to set-aside a special day in recognition of late Gen. Shehu Musa-Yar’adua’s contributions to national development.
The appeal was made in Katsina during a one-day public lecture held in honour of the late General, with the theme ‘Yar’Adua: A Democratic Soldier’.
The late Yar’adua died on Dec. 8, 1997.
Mr Bishir Dauda, who led the group, said Yar’Adua’s sacrifice and role in shaping Nigeria’s political evolution placed him among leaders deserving of national recognition.
“If other leaders, both living and dead, have been honoured, why not Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua?” Dauda asked.
He lamented a perceived leadership vacuum in the North, stating that leaders like Yar’Adua and Gen. Hassan Usman-Katsina had offered indispensable guidance before they died.
The group urged President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to act swiftly to immortalise Yar’Adua’s legacy.
According to him, Yar’Adua, born 1943–1997, served as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, and effectively Nigeria’s vice head of state from 1976 to 1979.
Dauda said that Yar’adua later became a key political figure during the transition programmes of the 1980s and 1990s, and was also a businessman.
He explained that the purpose of the lecture was to enlighten the youths about Yar’adua’s contributions to Nigeria’s development, particularly in the northern region.
According to him, this would help them appreciate his efforts, emulate his values and lifestyle, experiences they were not privileged to witness first-hand.
