Contrary to repeated assurances by Federal Government officials that President Umaru Yar'Adua's long absence from his duty post in Abuja will neither slow down nor disrupt state affairs, information available to Sunday Vanguard suggests otherwise.

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Indeed, there are now fears that the situation may worsen in the weeks ahead as issues requiring his personal attention continue to pile up.

He did not hand over to his deputy, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan before travelling to Saudi Arabia 49 days ago for medical treatment.

The implication is that there is little or nothing the VP can do in the circumstance as any action he takes on a matter that he is not so authorised is bound to come to nought.

One issue which the availability of the president in the country could have helped in resolving or at least mitigate is the recent decision of the United States government to put Nigeria on the list of countries to watch for terrorism/terrorists.

Of interest on the Abdulmutallab's issue and Yar'Adua's absence is an article by the US deputy secretary of state for African Affairs in the Bush Administration, Mr. Todd Moss, entitled "Where in the world is the Nigerian president?"

Said he: "Amid all the media frenzy around the Nigerian underwear bomber and how America should have stopped him before he tried to blow up a passenger plane on Christmas Day a critical piece to the counter terrorism puzzle seems to have been missed: where in the world is the Nigerian president?

Normally, after such a horrific incident, President Obama would be on the phone with his counterpart discussing what went wrong and agreeing on ways to work better in future to prevent such attack. But this couldn't happen because Nigeria's president left his country for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia on November 23 and has hasn't been seen or heard from since.

Also affected by the president's absence is the swearing-in of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu who had to be sworn-in by the immediate past CJN, Justice Idris Kutigi. The swearing-in is still generating controversy across the nation.

There is also the Niger Delta Amnesty Deal which now appears stuck as the president is not available to give directives on what is to be done next. The 2009 Supplementary Budget had to be taken to him on his sick bed in Saudi Arabia for him to sign.

Many Nigerians are asking questions on the authenticity of the signature on the budget. Besides, a report says, the president's absence caused delay in getting money released for the National Football team participating in the Nations Cup competition starting today in Angola. Another victim is the provision of 6000 megawatts of electricity by the end of last year which is a major plank of the administration's pact with Nigerians.

Not only did government fail in fulfilling the promise, the current capacity of below 4000 megawatts is far short of expectation and the president is unavailable to direct those saddled with the responsibility. Perhaps, the worst within may turn out to be the polity. Anxiety has gripped the country since his departure to Saudi Arabia with the opposition calling for his resignation for health reasons while the ruling PDP insists there will be no such thing.

Only on Friday, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Mr. Ita Enang, said the president's absence from the country would be debated by the House when it resumes on Tuesday.

"We will discuss the state of the indisposition of the president because there are measures that members have brought to discuss it. I will not be able to say what the resolution of the House will be but I know that there are matters for us to discuss on the floor of the House," he said.