Exclusive: Spotlight On Chief of Staff to the President.

*Alhaji Abba Kyari* is a powerful close appointee of the Mohammadu Buhari’s Presidency. He is the President’ Chief of Staff christened De Facto President after being saddled with the onus to receive all requests by Cabinet members. He is said to be the First and Last bus stop in all Government submissions and appointments. Who is Abba Kyari and why is he said to wield so much power in this administration?

*Alhaji Abba Kyari* is not the sort that is boisterous and seen to be shoulders high with his achievements, neither is he a media exhibitionist. Hence, little is known and has been written about him. But like the British Legendary writer, William Shakespeare once wrote: *”Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.* Being a Kanuri man from Borno, it is not clearly known how Abba Kyari accepted or got to be appointed as the *Chief of Staff* to President Mohammadu Buhari.

Nonetheless, he had prior to his appointment served his region and the country as a senior citizen, as a Lawyer with Falana, as a Commissioner and as a member of many boards. And in each and every sphere he found himself, he left a legacy of modest living, adroit competence, courage, and like his principal, integrity.

Armed with various degrees in different disciplines including Sociology, Law, Management and Business from the University of Cambridge, Warwick and Havard Business School respectively, his notable political journey into mainstream politics started when he was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as a Member of the Presidential advisory council on Investment along with other imminent Nigerians including Baroness Lynda Chalker as the Chairperson. Their mandate was to advice on how the government of the day could mobilize, encourage, invite and attract investment into the Nigerian economy. A task satisfactorily done and ratified successful.

He also served as an executive director and board member in the oil and gas industry (ExxonMobil Nigeria), Banking (United Bank for Africa- UBA) and the Manufacturing industry (Unilever Nigeria).

Alhaji Abba Kyari was recently diagnosed with the dreaded Corona Virus and the usual merchants of Fake news seized the opportunity to further bring the ineptitude of certain appointees in the Presidency, most especially the arm of the Presidency who are to serve as the bridge between fake and reality. Their nonchalant approach to fake news helped the Fake news merchants to drag a sizeable number of the Nigerian society into believing that Alhaji Abba Kyari died 24hours after testing positive and was rushed out of the country. And as it happened in the days when the news of the Death of General Sani Abacha filtered the air. Markets, shops and businesses all over the country were thrown into a state of frenzy. It was a period of Callous insensitivity. Albeit the former was true, the later was a victim of fake news. Abba Kyari lives.

He had gone to Germany to address Nigeria’s perpetual power issue where it is believed he contacted the Virus. The same Power issues past administrations could not complete with the Germans since the year 2000. He went on our behalf.

While social media sadism has been naturalized in this clime, the peddlers of same will not go unpunished in saner climes. You will never hear these peddlers of fake news who are quick to list your inadequacies, commend you in areas you are doing well, they will just keep listing your imperfections and what you are not doing right.

It will be a misplacement of emotions for anyone to assume that Nigerians hate Alhaji Abba Kyari and can only wish him dead. No!
The administration came into power on the mantra of integrity and a zero – tolerance for corruption. So, it is only natural for someone who is seen to have a close relationship to the person of President Mohammadu Buhari to be abhorred.

President Mohammadu Buhari was perceived and reckoned to be a brutal no-nonsense military General who on assumption to office on may 29, 2015 will go after all past supposed corrupt leaders who privately milked our National resources to build a life for themselves and their families abroad and have them jailed even without a court trial. It was also assumed that a Mohammadu Buhari’s Presidency will suddenly like with a twist of a magic turn things around to better the lot of Nigerians. That perception is losing it’s potency as many believe it is business as usual depending on the side of the Political divide you belong to.

Whatever your angle of thought or perception may be, you cannot detach the Man Abba Kyari from the person of President Mohammadu Buhari.

The most widely distributed book in Human History says: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches and favour is better than silver and gold”. Which simply means, your good reputation is much more than money.
Alhaji Abba Kyari has undoubtedly built a good reputation for himself. Whether Nigerians will accept him without recourse to his Political affiliations and relationship with President Buhari is a matter of time.

By

Hon. Ali Gambo