The rumour mill was agog some days ago. First, it was the rumoured transition to the great beyond of Mrs. Mariam Babangida. Ever since her husband stepped aside from power, not much has been heard of the fair lady, a once vivacious and effervescent personality whose comely carriage caught public imagination. I am not sure whether the first lady institution existed before her time at Aso Rock; if it did then she imbued it with the glamour and razzmatazz the position have  come to assume now. She equally pioneered the pet projects that first ladies embark upon once their husbands get into power. Mariam Babangida's better life project was an early attempt to bring succour to poor women and their children. These were therefore the kind of images that raced across ones mind while one waited for the rumour to be dispelled or confirmed. Thankfully, it was dispelled; the lady, we were told is still very much with us - the living and may she continue to be for a long time to come.

But as the nation was about to go into the Eid -el Kabir sallah break, a new rumour took on a life of its own, spreading like wild fire. It was that of the president who had gone to the holy land, according to official information, to seek better health. In a swift reaction government quickly put out words that contrary to the rumours going round, our dear president was hale and hearty as a man of his age and ailment can possibly be. The information put out noted however that President Umaru Yar’Adua was suffering from a certain heart ailment which necessitated his journey to Saudi Arabia for which he had been treated. He was responding well to treatment and his condition was stable. Soon he will return to resume his presidential duties God willing, we were assured.

Many would wonder why is it that Nigerians easily give in to people purveying morbid rumours, particularly when they concern highly placed persons. Could it be a demonstration of repressed ill- will towards these people? Or is the pervasiveness of rumours a display of some kind of collective wish of the people to see their leader suffer calamity. This is a pertinent point when it is considered that in many other countries people promptly take off to places of worship in circumstances of this nature affecting important people in society to pray on their behalf. In Nigeria there is no such public demonstration of seeking the divine to look kindly on those direly in need of his grace.  That is not to say however that privately people don't say a prayer or two for the sick.

It should be said however that the Nigerian may have brought all manner of opprobrium on himself on account of many of his seedy acts; that does not mean he will go out of his way to actively seek calamity or a worse tragedy on his fellow citizen. Anyone who cares to take note would see the display of virtues of fellow-feeling and empathy everywhere ranging from the regular visits paid to hospitals by religious and temperance societies; the motorist who make way for school children to cross the road safely or the anonymous fellow who donates a whopping sum of money towards a life saving treatment of the critically sick. Examples of the display of acts of compassion such as these abound everywhere. So the cause of the pervasiveness of morbid rumours must lie else where.

The reason why rumours have become prevalent and endemic has been ascribed to paucity of information about the circumstances of the personalities concerned. In the case of a public figure whose well being or otherwise is intertwined with the fate of the country, it is legitimate for the people to want to know what exactly the situation is. In the case of President Umaru Yar’Adua, it is fair to admit that the management of information surrounding him this time around has vastly improved compared to the way his earlier medical journeys had been handled.  Even so, much still is to be desired from government officials in taking the people into confidence in situations of anxiety on the health of highly placed public figures. In situation of ill health, a periodic release of information to keep the people informed about the well being of their leaders should be the desirable thing to do. This is the practice in many free countries, and the media are kept abreast of events as they unfold.