Thursday, May 13, 2010
Nigeria has announced that an airport has been named after late president Umaru Yar’Adua. The announcement to re-name Katsina Airport was made by President Goodluck Jonathan. Yar’Adua died earlier this month after being ill for several months. He was not seen in public since November 2009.
President Jonathan released a statement saying that the decision was taken “in recognition of his [Yar’Adua’s] contribution to national development.” The airport is located in Katsine, Yar’Adua’s home state. A road in Abuja is also to be renamed after the late president.
The announcement comes at the end of seven days of mourning. Tributes were paid by President Jonathan, Nigerian ministers and former President of Ghana, John Kufuor.