Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- 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 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.
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 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.
