Fifty-eight-year-old Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua died at his presidential villa¹ on Wednesday, state TV has said.

尼日利亚国家电视台报道，58岁的总统亚拉杜瓦于当地时间星期三死于其总统别墅中。

A presidential aide and the information minister confirmed his death. Mr Yar'Adua, who became president in 2007, had been ill for some time.

The government announced seven days of national mourning and said the president would be buried on Thursday.

Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan - who became acting² president（代总统） in February - will be sworn in later, reports say.

The Nigerian Television Authority interrupted its normal programming to announce the news, in a brief statement early on Thursday.

Heart condition

The announcer said: "The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, died a few hours ago at the presidential villa.

"Security aides notified the national security adviser³, General Anou Bissou, who immediately called the acting president. The late（已故的，最近的） president has been ill for some time."

Mr Yar'Adua, a Muslim, will be laid to rest later on Thursday in his home state of Katsina, in the north of the country.

A spokesman for Mr Jonathan said the acting president received the news with "shock and sadness".

Reports from Nigeria said Mr Yar'Adua died between 2100 (2000 GMT) and 2200 (2100 GMT) on Wednesday in the capital, Abuja.

US President Barack Obama led tributes from world leaders.

Mr Obama praised "President Yar'Adua's profound personal decency⁴（正派，体面） and integrity, his deep commitment to public service, and his passionate⁵（热情的，激昂的） belief in the vast potential and bright future of Nigeria's 150 million people".

In November, Mr Yar'Adua went to a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for several months, during which time he was not heard from, apart from a BBC interview.

He told the BBC by telephone in January that he was recovering and hoped with "tremendous progress" to resume his duties.

A presidential spokesman said at the time that he was being treated for acute pericarditis（急性心包炎） , an inflammation（发炎，炎症） of the lining⁶ around the heart.

His long absence and the lack of detailed⁷ information about his health led to a political limbo⁸ in Nigeria that was only filled when Mr Jonathan was named acting president.

Mr Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria later in February, but Mr Jonathan remained as acting president.

There had been tension between the two men's supporters and in March Mr Jonathan dissolved the cabinet and later put his own team in place.

According to Nigeria's constitution, Mr Jonathan is to choose a deputy with whom he will serve out the remainder of the presidential term until elections, which were due next year.