President Kufuor to Commission Yar'adua Centre in Abuja

Ghanaian President John Kufuor is expected in Nigeria on March 9, 2002 to commission the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre, the Director General of the centre, Jacqueline Farris said over the weekend in Abuja.

The commissioning of the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre is expected to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the arrest of the late leader of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) who was arrested on March 9, 1995 and died at the Abakiliki prison on December 8, 1997.

According to the director general of the centre, other dignitaries expected at the occasion include President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The centre located at the Central Area of Abuja, Hajia Farris said, featured an international conference centre, research library and the exhibition of the legacy of the leadership of late Major General Yar'Adua.

An important architectural feature of the centre is an unfinished bridge, located at the main entrance. According to the director general, "late Yar'Adua known as a bridge builder," and the bridge stands as a symbol of Shehu Musa Yar'Adua's life, work and legacy to remind Nigerians of the need to continue the struggle for fairness and social harmony in the country.

Hajia Farris explained that the axis of the unfinished bridge formed by the beginning and end of the bridge, which points to the National Assembly, symbolises the democratic rule in the country.