Condition of Nigerian president improving

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The condition of Nigerian President Umaru Yar'adua is improving as the official was moved from intensive care at a Saudi Arabian hospital, officials said.

Nigerian officials in Saudi Arabia said the hospital transfer of the 58-year-old Nigerian leader represented a sign Yar'adua was getting better following his hospitalization 10 days ago, the Daily Trust reported Wednesday.

An unidentified official close to Nigeria's mission in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah said only Yar'adua's wife, Hajiya Turai, and Abdullahi Garba Aminci, Nigerian ambassador to Saudi Arabia were allowed to see the president as of Tuesday.

The president is being hospitalized at King Faisal Hospital and Research Center to receive medical treatment for acute pericarditis.

Pericarditis occurs when the pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, becomes inflamed.

The president's chief physician Salisu Banye said last week the Nigerian leader's condition was improving, a stance echoed by Aminci to the Daily Trust on Wednesday.