By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari was an enigma of some sort while he was alive. He represented so many things to so many people and may have died as the most understood person.
To some who had the opportunity of meeting him, will tell you how extremely a good man he was, to others he was both a principality and power. Within the Aso Rock circles, he was labeled a defacto head of President Buhari’s government.
The late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari shortly before he was taken out of Aso Rock after he tested positive for Coronavirus wrote a statement that he was on medical advice and was only being taken to Lagos for additional test and observation. He also added that he was full of hope he would be back at his duties inside the Presidential Villa.
Alas, the cold hand of COVID-19 has turned things upside down for the late CSO.
Born on 17 November 1938, Abba Kyari attended Borno Middle School and Barewa College, Zaria.
In 1959 he enlisted in the Nigerian Army as an officer cadet. Kyari later became commander of 1 Brigade at Kaduna and was subsequently second-in-command and then commander of the Nigerian Army’s artillery.
A Kanuri from Borno not much is known about his early life. 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.
He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time 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.
From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was the secretary to the board of African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International.
Kyari was 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
Kyari was an influential figure within the Buhari administratioion
During the administration’s first term, he worked mainly behind the scene to implement the president’s agenda.
In 2019 with Buhari’s re-election for a second term, he 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 who was later removed from office and arrested. 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, it was made public that Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on March 23, following an official trip to Germany nine days before. It was also reported that Kyari had underlying medical conditions and was secretly flown out of the country. He later rejected these claims, and was moved from Abuja to Lagos
Kyari was married to the sister-in-law of Ibrahim Tahir, and had four children.
Abba Kyari, OON died 17 April 2020 of COVID-19 complicated. Before his burial today, a prayer will be held at Defence House, Abuja.
