Abba Kyari Explained
Abba Kyari (23 September 1952 – 17 April 2020)[2] was a Nigerian lawyer[3] who served as Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria from August 2015 to April 2020.[4]
Early life
Kyari was born on 23 September 1952, to a Shuwa Arab family from Borno. He was educated in St. Paul's College in Wusasa, Zaria, and later considered joining the Nigerian Army following advice from Mamman Daura and Ibrahim Tahir.[5] In 1976, he met General Muhammadu Buhari who was then Governor of Borno State.[6]
Education
Kyari graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Warwick in 1980,[7] and later obtained a law degree from the University of Cambridge.[8] Kyari was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983 after attending the Nigerian Law School.[9] In 1984, he obtained a master's degree in law from the University of Cambridge.[10] He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland,[11] and in 1992 and 1994 participated in the Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development.[12]
Career
Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria.[13]
From 1988 to 1990, he was editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna. He was a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State in the 1990s.[14]
From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was the secretary to the board of the African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International.[14]
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.[12]
Chief of Staff to the President
In August 2015, Kyari was appointed Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.[15] [16] As chief of staff, he was widely considered to be the face of an infamous was that wielded high political powers in the government.[17] [18]
During the administration's first term, he worked mainly behind the scenes to implement the president's agenda.[19] After Buhari won re-election in 2019, he ordered his cabinet members to channel all requests through Kyari's office[20] — further enhancing his influence within government circles, and being labelled as the de facto head of government.[21]
In 2017, following a leaked memo, Kyari became embroiled in a public argument with the Head of Civil Service,[22] who was later removed from office and then arrested.[23] [24] In 2020, in another leaked memo, Babagana Monguno the National Security Adviser accused Kyari of meddling in matters of national security.[25]
Family
Kyari was married to the sister-in-law of Ibrahim Tahir,[26] and had four children, Aisha, Nurudeen, Ibrahim, Zainab.[27] [5]
Death
On 24 March 2020, it was made public that Kyari had tested positive for COVID-19 following an official trip to Germany nine days before.[28] There were reports that he had been flown out of the country for treatment,[29] and Reuters later reported he had "a history of medical complications, including diabetes".[30]
On 29 March 2020, Kyari announced he was being moved from isolation in Abuja to Lagos for "preventive treatment".[31] Kyari later died on the evening of 17 April 2020 at age 67. His death was a very huge blow to the nation.[32] He was eulogised by The Economist as "a largely honourable man who went to the heart of a thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional system, aiming to reform it—but who struggled to overcome its inertia amid a series of crises."[33]
Notes and References
- News: Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president of Nigeria, 1952-2020. Financial Times. 24 April 2020. 24 April 2020.
- Web site: Abba Kyari's real date of birth uncovered. Premium Times. Ogundipe. Samuel. 18 April 2020. 18 April 2020.
- News: Wallis. William. 24 April 2020. Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president of Nigeria, 1952-2020. Financial Times. 29 September 2024.
- News: 20 April 2020. Abba Kyari's Burial: SGF Mustapha admits violations of COVID-19 protocols. Adebowale-Tambe. Nike. 29 September 2024.
- News: Ibrahim Tahir: A Personal Loss. Kyari. Abba. 23 December 2009. The Guardian. 29 September 2024.
- News: To my friend, Mallam Abba Kyari – Buhari. Buhari. Muhammadu. Muhammadu Buhari. 18 April 2020. The Guardian. 29 September 2024.
- News: 18 April 2020. Abba Kyari's real date of birth uncovered. Ogundipe. Samuel. Premium Times. 29 September 2024.
- Web site: Exxon Mobil Nigeria Board of Directors. Exxon Mobil. 29 August 2015.
- News: Aboyade. Funke. From Dublin, Law School Set of '83 Plans Big. This Day. 29 August 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121016010128/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/from-dublin-law-school-set-of-8217-83-plans-big/127530. 16 October 2012.
- Web site: Exxon Mobil Nigeria Board of Directors. Exxon Mobil. 29 August 2015.
- Web site: Nigerian President's Chief of Staff Dies After Getting Virus. Bloomberg News. 17 April 2020. 19 April 2020. Ibukun. Yinka. Soto. Alonso.
- News: Abba Kyari: A litany of controversies. The Guardian. 19 April 2020. 19 April 2020. Olumide. Seye.
- Web site: Thabit. Khadijah. Fani-Kayode Reacts To Abba Kyari's Appointment. Legit.ng. 27 August 2015. 29 September 2024.
- News: Abba Kyari: The Man, The Mandate And The Mission. Leadership. 19 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200421232009/https://leadership.ng/2020/04/18/abba-kyari-the-man-the-mandate-and-the-mission-leadership-special/. 21 April 2020. dead.
- News: Buhari appoints SGF, Chief of Staff, others. Premium Times. 27 August 2015. 12 March 2020.
- News: Bakare. Tonye. Buhari appoints Lawal as SGF, Kyari as CoS. 29 August 2015. The Guardian. 27 August 2015.
- News: Men of power: Nigeria's most influential power brokers. Ojoye. Taiwo. The Punch. 25 August 2019. 29 September 2024.
- News: The reign of Abba Kyari. Odesola. Tunde. 29 September 2024. The Punch. 20 April 2020.
- News: In surprise move, Saraki personally submits names of ministers to Buhari. Usman. Talatu. Premium Times. 3 November 2015. 29 September 2024.
- News: Go through Abba Kyari to see me, Buhari directs ministers. P.M. News. 21 August 2019. 29 September 2024.
- News: Abba Kyari: Prime minister in a presidential system. 25 August 2019. Business Day. 21 March 2020.
- News: Oyo-Ita, Kyari In Heated Argument At Presidential Villa. Ajibola. Akinola. Channels TV. 29 September 2024.
- News: Buhari sacks Head of Service, Oyo-Ita. Premium Times. 18 September 2019. 21 March 2020.
- News: Alleged N570m fraud: Ex-Head of Service Oyo-Ita arrested. Alli. Yusuf. 23 March 2020. The Nation. 24 March 2020.
- News: Premium Times. 29 September 2024. Buhari's team in disarray as NSA Monguno declares war on Abba Kyari. Ogundipe. Samuel. 17 February 2020.
- Web site: Tahir: The Death of a Radical Conservative. Haruna. Mohammed.
- News: Aisha Abba Kyari: My daddy, my best friend. Kyari. Aisha Abba. 5 May 2020. Today. 17 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200525190545/https://www.today.ng/opinion/aisha-abba-kyari-daddy-best-friend-296641. 25 May 2020. dead.
- News: Coronavirus: Abba Kyari reportedly tests positive; Kingibe, others may be tested. Owoseye. Ayodamola. Alabi. Mojeed. 24 March 2020. 29 September 2024.
- News: Buhari's Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari Admitted at London's Hospital. Desert Herald. 29 March 2020. 18 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200407231046/https://desertherald.com/exclusive-buharis-chief-of-staff-abba-kyari-admitted-at-londons-hospital/. 7 April 2020. dead.
- News: Top Nigerian president aide, state governor test positive for coronavirus. Carsten. Paul. Akwagyiram. Alexis. 24 March 2020. Reuters. 29 September 2024.
- News: Covid-19: Why I moved to Lagos after testing positive - Abba Kyari. 29 March 2020. Daily Trust. 18 April 2020. 31 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200331105535/https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/covid-19-why-i-moved-to-lagos-after-testing-positive-abba-kyari.html. dead.
- News: Buhari's Chief Of Staff Abba Kyari Dies. Erezi. Dennis. The Guardian. 18 April 2020. 29 September 2024.
- News: Abba Kyari, who tried to clean up Nigeria, dies of covid-19. The Economist. 25 April 2020. 29 September 2024.
- News: Abba Kyari: 10 things to know about Buhari's late Chief of Staff . Daily Post. 18 April 2020. 19 April 2020. Nseyen. Nsikak.
- News: 9 October 2022. Full List: 2022 National Honours Award Recipients. The Nation. 26 October 2022.
