Reuters Ahead with news on Nigeria President’s Health

Reuters beat Dow Jones by 50 minutes and Bloomberg by 5 minutes with the first official word on the state of Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua’s health after he left the country for emergency medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. Yar’Adua’s sudden departure from Africa’s most populous nation and second-biggest economy at a time when legislation including the budget for next year is before parliament, set the rumor mill in full swing with speculation whirling that he had either died or was too ill to govern. Investors from across asset classes were anxious for properly-sourced factual news on his health. Reuters report that Yar’Adua was suffering from a heart condition but was responding well to treatment offered some reassurance, although it was not clear when he would return.