27 November 2009

Abuja — The Chief Physician to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Dr. Salisu Banye, said yesterday that the president was responding positively to treatment at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

He said the president is expected to recover soon and return to the country, but no specific day has been fixed. The president is also said to be very sad over his rumoured death.

A statement from Banye, read to the State House correspondents at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa by Presidential spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, said the president was diagnosed with, and was being treated for, Acute Pericarditis - an inflammatory condition of the covering of the heart.

The four-paragraph letter from Banye read thus:

"At about 3pm on Friday, November 20th, after he returned from the Abuja Central Mosque where he performed the Juma'at prayers, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua complained of left sided severe chest pain. Preliminary medical examinations suggested acute pericarditis (an inflammatory condition of the coverings of the heart).

"It was then decided that he should undertake confirmatory checks at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he had his last medical check-up in August.

"The medical review and tests undertaken at the hospital have confirmed the initial diagnosis that the president is indeed suffering from Acute Pericarditis.

"He is now receiving treatment for the ailment and is responding remarkably well."

The following conversation took place between Adeniyi and reporters.

Reporters: How did the president feel about his rumoured death?

Adeniyi: He is a human being, naturally he will feel bad. This is not the first time the president was aware of the rumour. He felt bad about it as any normal human being would.

Reporters: Is the president concerned about the persistent rumours that never go away about his health conditions?

Adeniyi: What can we do? We can't legislate against rumour. There is nothing anybody can do.

Reporters: Is it true that the president performed the Hajj in Saudi?

Adeniyi: No, it is definitely not true; even before the president travelled he knew that he was not going to perform the Hajj. Even when I did the first draft for the statement, I stated that the president will do medicals and undergo Hajj, but he said no, I am not going to do Hajj. So there is no way he is going to do Hajj.

Reporters: It was alleged that the president decided to travel at midnight because he could not walk?

Adeniyi: Actually what happened was that the president was supposed to leave earlier in the day but because of the holidays in Saudi Arabia, they couldn't procure his visa on time.

Reporters: When will he come back?

Adeniyi: Once I know I will tell you. I will give you an update.

Earlier yesterday, Reuters had reported that the Saudi hospital said President Yar'Adua was in good health and might perform pilgrimage to Mecca. Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia on Monday for "follow-up medical checks" with his personal physicians.

"The Nigerian president is in good condition. He underwent routine internal medical checks and had lunch today at the hospital," a spokesman for the King Faisal Takhassussi Hospital in Jeddah said.

His wife, Turai, left Jeddah for Mecca with some family members on Wednesday to perform the Hajj. A headline error in THISDAY yesterday had created the impression that she just left for Saudi Arabia, whereas she travelled with her husband last Monday. THISDAY learnt that the First Lady spent most of Wednesday with the husband at the Jeddah hospital.

allafrica