past leaders of the West African nation , pledged to fight to improve the country of 150 million people despite the accusations . `` Our collective goal is to deliver for our children a Nigeria better , stronger , more peaceful , more secure and more prosperous than we met it , '' Yar ` Adua said . President Barack Obama issued a statement late Wednesday expressing his condolences to Yar ` Adua 's family and the Nigerian people . `` President Yar ` Adua worked to promote peace and stability in Africa through his support of Nigerian peacekeeping efforts as well as his strong criticism of undemocratic actions in the region , '' Obama said in the statement . `` He was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within Nigeria 's own borders , and continuing that work will be an important part of honoring his legacy . '' His election followed wide support from his predecessor , leading critics to label him a puppet of the former president , Olusegun Obasanjo . After he was elected , Yar ` Adua replaced some of Obasanjo 's top officials , including the head of the army , a move
Lagos , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nigeria 's ailing President Umaru Yar ` Adua , who gave amnesty to armed militants in the troubled oil-rich Niger Delta region , died Wednesday , the country 's information minister said . He was 58 . Yar ` Adua had not been seen in public since November , when he went to Saudi Arabia for treatment of an inflammation of tissue around his heart . He was diagnosed with that condition , acute pericarditis , last fall after he complained of chest pain . He returned to Nigeria in February but had remained out of sight . Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has served as the country 's acting leader since Yar ` Adua fell ill . Yar ` Adua took office in 2007 in an election mired in controversy and accusations of vote-rigging . `` There was ballot snatching , voters were molested , voters were beaten ... and also payment inducement to vote for certain candidates , '' said Eneruvie Enakoko of the Civil Liberties Organization , a human rights group in Lagos . The president , a soft-spoken and unassuming figure who did not bask in the media spotlight like