This revelation was coming on the heels of remarks by former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, that he was to fly in the same chopper that killed Yakowa and others, but God saved him from the tragic death.
Governor Yero, in his valedictory speech on Wednesday, in honour of the late Yakowa, said some few days to Yakowa’s death, the plot to remove him from office thickened, as some commissioners lied to the late governor that he was complaining of being marginalised from the running of government.
His words: “When late Yakowa became the governor following the elevation of Alhaji Muhammed Namadi Sambo as Vice-President in 2010, I was still a serving Commissioner for Finance and I went to congratulate Yakowa as the new governor in his house.
“I first greeted the wife as customs demand before going to see the governor, in fact, I went with some people who were waiting for me outside and he called me as usual, exchequer.
“He brought out a sheet of paper containing about six or seven names and my name was among and he said: “These names were given to me for consideration and advice,’ but that if he didn’t feel comfortable, he could choose any one he feels.
“My name was there and he said to me even if your name is not there, I want to work with you, I don’t want the vice president to take you to Abuja and away from Kaduna State. He then asked for my opinion and I said let’s leave everything to God and he agreed, I did not even tell those I came with when I came outside.
“After a year, while trying to resolve certain crisis, he told me that he was asked by some commissioners and other people to drop me because of the crisis and he said no.
“About two to three weeks ago, something happened and he called me in his office and about the third time, he said, commissioners and certain people are complaining that I said I was not being carried along in the running of the state and I said I don’t know them and don’t want to know them, I asked him to put all these behind us and let us work together.
“I told him my part where I felt he has wronged me and we resolved it. There is one problem which is communication gap between us and he said let us close that gap and put the people to shame.
“He said, whatever I see, I should talk to him. I am a happy man that today I am parting with my boss without holding anything against him or him holding anything against me. On Friday, he told me that everything belongs to God, and that someday, he may be no more and that I could be the governor and that he was going to Port Harcourt, Bayelsa, Lagos and end up in Abuja.”
Yero said he would continue to emulate Yakowa’s patience because it was the secret that propelled him to success in life.
Meanwhile, former head of state, Gowon said in Kafanchan, on Wednesday, said he narrowly missed chopper that killed Yakowa and others.
The Information Minister, Labaran Maku, also narrated how he escaped death by whiskers, saying “on that fateful day, a number of us were in Okoroba Kingdom in Bayelsa State to pay last respect to the departed father of Special Adviser on Strategy and Documentation, Mr Oronto Douglas. I went there because Oronto has been an old friend of mine and we have worked in government together.
“When we arrived, the late governor of Kaduna State, Yakowa and General Andrew Azazi were already seated. The two of them were full of life, we greeted, we embraced and later we went for the funeral, unknown to us, we did not know it would be the last moment we will have with these two distinguished sons of Nigeria.”
He added: “When we met in Bayelsa, it was a twist of fate that we did not board the same chopper because on that day, the Special Adviser to the Vice-President, Sani Umar and myself and Timi Alaibe were suppose to travel together with the two of them back to Port Harcourt.
“Somehow, just before we could take off from the funeral arena, Sani backed out and decided to travel alone. I myself stood up and was going together with them but by some involuntary action, I returned to my seat. I said I would wait for a moment. That was simply the twist of fate that kept us alive.
Speaking in Bayelsa, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, described Azazi “as an Ijaw tree that supports the people.
“A big tree has fallen in Ijawland and the clay pot that supports the state has fallen. For Governor Yakowa, who I met as a minister, he wanted nothing more than to heal the division in his state. It is clear that the only sure thing in life is death. We don’t know the time and manner it will come but it will come.”
As a mark of honour for late governor, NSA and other victims of last Saturday helicopter crash in Bayelsa State, Wednesday’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) ended without treating any of the memoranda slated for consideration.
Others who died in the ill-fated Navy chopper crash were their aides, Dauda Tsoho and Warrant Officer Mohammed Kamal and the pilots, Commander Muritala Mohammed Daba and Lieutenant Adeyemi O. Sowole.
Meanwhile, today, President Goodluck Jonathan will lead other top government officials to Kaduna for the burial of the former governor.
President Jonathan announced that the FEC meeting would be a valedictory session for the victims as soon as he stepped into the council chambers, venue of the meeting and immediately nominated the Minister of Information, Mr Maku, to move a motion to that effect.
He also said no memorandum would be considered because of the mood of nation, but that he would attend to any request that could not wait till January 9, 2013 adjourned date of FEC.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, seconded the motion, while the president nominated few ministers representing Kaduna and Bayelsa states, as well as the six geopolitical zones of the country to eulogize the victims, based on their personal knowledge of them.
In his remarks, President Jonathan described December 15, the day of the crash, as a black Saturday in the history of the nation, as all the victims served their country selflessly.
He described Yakowa as a different breed of politician who never exploited ethnic or religious sentiments for selfish ends while believing in the unity of the country.
As for the former NSA, he noted that he was a fine and selfless officer who served his country meritoriously.
According to him, “the victims are Nigerians that have served this country. For Governor Yakowa, I knew him when he became the deputy governor of Kaduna State. I had some interactions with him and since then, we have been interacting. Then I knew him more when the then governor of Kaduna State was moved to Abuja to assist me as Vice-President and Yakowa became the governor of the state.
The president recalled how he never met General Azazi until in 2004, though they were from the same state.
“For General Azazi, though we are both from Bayelsa State and Ijaw ethnic nationality, I never met him until 2004 when the then Brigadier Azazi was made the Director of Military Intelligence (DMI). I was then the deputy governor of Bayelsa. Somebody came to me that one of our own has been made the DMI and that was a prestigious posting in the Army. And I said I was going to receive him and have a little party for him, and hosted him one evening in Abuja, in one of their officers’ mess.
“From that time, we started interacting, then he was promoted to Major-General and made General Officer Commanding (GOC) One Division, Kaduna and then he was also made the Chief of Army Staff. That was another level of our interaction in 2006, then I was the governor of Bayelsa State.”
Noting that General Azazi left a 90-year-old mother behind, the President said: “Can you imagine how a 90-year-old mother will mourn a son who did very well and rose to become a four-star general in the Nigerian Army.”
Also speaking, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, who said he received the news with great shock and deep pain, described the death of Yakowa who, he said, he knew and interacted with for over 25 years, as a peaceful and selfless gentleman.
He revealed that they first met when he (Sambo) was made a Commissioner for Agriculture in Kaduna State in 1986 and he personally requested for Yakowa, a permanent secretary at the time, to be posted to his ministry because of his thoroughness in doing his work.
On Azazi, he said he was a fine gentleman who he knew from his days as the GOC One Division Kaduna.
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