Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari was born on November 17, 1938, according to the Wikipedia.
He was arguably, the most powerful man in President Buhari’s government from when he was first appointed Chief of Staff in 2015 till he was caged by the novel Coronavirus and finally joined his ancestors on Friday, April 17.
Though Kyari neither said much nor was he in the public glare, many believed that he was the de facto president of the country while his nephew, Buhari wore the title.
Very few, had kind words to say about him.
There was also no love lost between Kyari and the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, who did not hide her animosity for the all powerful Chief of Staff.
A Kanuri from Borno, not much is really known about his early life.
However, in 1980, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Warwick, and also received a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge.
In 1983, he was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School and in 1984, he obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge.
He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Programme for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
Kyari was married to the sister-in-law of Ibrahim Tahir and had four children.
Kyari’s work experience spanned a stint at the law firm of Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo after his return to Nigeria.
From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna.
In 1990, he served as a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State.
He later became the secretary to the board of African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International from 1990 to 1995.
Kyari also served as an executive director in charge of management services at the United Bank for Africa, and was later appointed the chief executive officer.
In 2002, he was appointed a board director of Unilever Nigeria, and later served on the board of Exxon Mobil Nigeria.
In August 2015, Kyari was appointed Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari and was reappointed in 2019 when Buhari won a second term in office.
Kyari was indeed one of the influential figure within the Buhari administration. He was first among equals and wore a toga of invincibility.
During the administration’s first term, he worked mainly behind the scenes to implement the president’s agenda.
Upon his re-election in 2019 Buhari ordered his cabinet to channel all requests through Kyari’s office.
Further enhancing his influence within government circles, and being labelled as the de facto head of government.
In 2017, following a leaked memo, Kyari became embroiled in a public argument with the Head of Civil Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, who was later removed from office and arrested.
The two had reportedly disagreed over the reinstatement of the former chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team (PPRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.
Maina who had been dismissed by the Federal Government and declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the International Police (INTERPOL) was allegedly reinstated by Kyari.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Abba Kyari To Be Buried Today
In 2020, in another leaked memo, Babagana Monguno the National Security Adviser accused Kyari of meddling in matters of national security.
On March 24, 2020, news of Kyari’s Coronavirus status was made public.
Six days later, he said he was feeling well but would move to Lagos where he had made his own arrangements for treatment.
In a statement which he personally signed, Kyari said: “I have made my own care arrangements to avoid further burdening the public health system, which faces so many pressures. Like many others that will test also positive, I have not experienced high fever or other symptoms associated with this new virus and have been working from home. I hope to be back at my desk very soon.
“We should be calm, measured and diligent – be meticulous in your hygiene, especially with cleaning hands, if possible stay at home or keep your distance. Listen to good advice from the proper authorities: pay no heed to quack cures or fake news from social media.
“Like the whole world, we are dealing with a new disease. Our experts are learning more all the time about coronavirus, what it does and how we can combat it. What we do know is that while some may become very sick, many others who contract the virus will not, and may have no symptoms at all. This is a disease that recognises no difference between north and south, men or women, rich or poor. We are all in this together.”
Abba Kyari was said to have underlying health challenges which included diabetes.
May his soul rest in peace.
