Umaru Musa Yar'Adua

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 1951 – 5 May 2010) was president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death (Wikipedia). Born in Katsina, he was the son of Musa Yar'Adua, a federal minister in the First Republic, and inherited his father's title of Matawalle of the Katsina Emirate. He taught at the Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology and at Katsina Polytechnic before entering business and politics, and was governor of Katsina State from 1999 to 2007 for the People's Democratic Party.

He won the presidential election of 21 April 2007, which international observers strongly criticised, and was sworn in on 29 May 2007 (Wikipedia).

Yar'Adua began school at Rafukka Primary School in 1958, moved to Dutsinma Boarding Primary School in 1962, attended Government College, Keffi, from 1965 to 1969, and gained a Higher School Certificate at Barewa College in 1971. He studied education and chemistry at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from 1972 to 1975, and later returned for a master's degree in analytical chemistry (Wikipedia).

After national service as a teacher in Lagos he lectured in Katsina from 1976 to 1983. At university he was active in radical circles around the Marxist historian Yusufu Bala Usman, and in the Second Republic joined the People's Redemption Party. He was later general manager of Sambo Farms in Funtua and a director of several companies. During Babangida's transition he was a founding member of the Peoples Front of Nigeria, led by his elder brother, Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, which became part of the Social Democratic Party; he lost the 1991 Katsina governorship election. His brother died in prison under Abacha. In 1998 he formed the K34 association, which joined others to form the People's Democratic Party, and he was elected governor of Katsina in 1999 (Wikipedia).

In 2009 he travelled to Saudi Arabia for treatment for pericarditis; he returned on 24 February 2010 and died on 5 May 2010. His vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan, succeeded him (Wikipedia).