Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua () (16 August 1951 – 5 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death in May 2010. He won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007.

He had previously served as the governor of Katsina State from 1999 to 2007; and was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2009, Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis. He returned to Nigeria on 24 February 2010, but died on 5 May.

== Early life, education and career ==

=== Childhood and education ===

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was born on 16 August 1951 in Katsina. His mother was Fatima Dada while his father was Musa Yar'Adua, who was a Federal Minister throughout the Nigerian First Republic and held the chieftaincy title of Matawalle (custodian of the royal treasury) of the Katsina Emirate, a title which the younger Yar'Adua inherited. His paternal grandfather, Malam Umaru, had also held the title of Matawallen Katsina, while his paternal grandmother, Malama Binta, was a sister of Emir Muhammadu Dikko of Katsina.

Yar'Adua started his education at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, and moved to Dutsinma...