Abba Kyari

Abba Kyari OON (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.

For the Inspector General of Police's Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) / DCP, see Abba Kyari (Police). For the Army Brigadier who served as Governor of North-Central State, see Abba Kyari (military general).

Abba Kyari

OON
Chief of Staff to the President
In office
27 August 2015 – 17 April 2020
PresidentMuhammadu Buhari
Preceded byJones Arogbofa
Succeeded byIbrahim Gambari
Personal details
Born(1952-09-23)September 23, 1952
Borno, Northern Region,
British Nigeria
(now Borno State, Nigeria)
Died17 April 2020(2020-04-17) (aged 67)
Lagos, Nigeria
Spouse(s)Hajiya Kulu Kyari
Children
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
University of Cambridge
Nigerian Law School
International Institute for Management Development
ProfessionLawyer and banker[1]
AwardsOrder of the Niger

Early life

Kyari was born on 23 September 1952, to a Kanuri 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.[4] In 1976, he met General Muhammadu Buhari who was then Governor of Borno State.[5]

Education

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Warwick in 1980, and also obtained a law degree from the University of Cambridge.[6] Kyari was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983 after attending the Nigerian Law School.[7] In 1984, he obtained a master's degree in law from the University of Cambridge.[8] He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland,[9] and in 1992 and 1994 participated in the Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development.[10]

Career

Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria.[11]

From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna. He also served as a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State in the 1990s.[12]

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.[12]

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.[10]

Chief of Staff to the President

In August 2015, Kyari was appointed Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.[13][14] As chief of staff, he was widely considered to be the face of the "cabal" and the most powerful person in the Buhari administration.[15][16]

During the administration's first term, he worked mainly behind the scenes to implement the president's agenda.[17] In 2019 with Buhari's re-election for a second term, he ordered his cabinet to channel all requests through Kyari's office[18] — further enhancing his influence within government circles, and being labelled as the de facto head of government.[19]

In 2017, following a leaked memo, Kyari became embroiled in a public argument with the Head of Civil Service,[20] who was later removed from office and arrested.[21][22] In 2020, in another leaked memo, Babagana Monguno the National Security Adviser accused Kyari of meddling in matters of national security.[23]

Family

Kyari was married to the sister-in-law of Ibrahim Tahir,[24] and had four children, Aisha, Nurudeen, Ibrahim, Zainab.[25][4]

Death

On 24 March 2020, it was made public that Kyari tested positive for COVID-19, following an official trip to Germany nine days before.[26] There were reports that he had been flown out of the country for treatment,[27] and Reuters later reported he had "a history of medical complications, including diabetes".[28]

On 29 March 2020, Kyari announced he was being moved from isolation in Abuja to Lagos for "preventive treatment".[29] Kyari later died on the evening of 17 April 2020 at age 67.[30] 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.”[31]

Honours and awards
Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)[32] National honour in Nigeria

References
  1. "Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president of Nigeria, 1952-2020". ft.com. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  2. Ogundipe, Samuel (18 April 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Abba Kyari's real date of birth uncovered". Premium Times. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. Wallis, William (24 April 2020). "Abba Kyari, chief of staff to the president of Nigeria, 1952-2020".
  4. Kyari, Abba (23 December 2009). "Ibrahim Tahir: A Personal Loss". The Guardian.
  5. Buhari, Muhammadu (18 April 2020). "To my friend, Mallam Abba Kyari – Buhari". The Guardian.
  6. "Exxon Mobil Nigeria Board of Directors". Exxon Mobil. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  7. Aboyade, Funke. "From Dublin, Law School Set of '83 Plans Big". This Day Live Nigeria. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  8. "Exxon Mobil Nigeria Board of Directors". Exxon Mobil. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  9. Ibukun, Yinka and Alonso Soto (17 April 2020). "Nigerian President's Chief of Staff Dies After Getting Virus". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. Olumide, Seye (19 April 2020). "Abba Kyari: A litany of controversies". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. Bolashodun, Oluwatobi. "Fani-Kayode Reacts To Abba Kyari's Appointment". Naij. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  12. "Abba Kyari: The Man, The Mandate And The Mission". Leadership. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  13. "Buhari appoints SGF, Chief of Staff, others - Premium Times Nigeria". 27 August 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  14. Bakare, Tonye. "Buhari appoints Lawal as SGF, Kyari as CoS". Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  15. Published. "Men of power: Nigeria's most influential power brokers". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  16. "The reign of Abba Kyari". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  17. "In surprise move, Saraki personally submits names of ministers to Buhari - Premium Times Nigeria". 3 November 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  18. "Go through Abba Kyari to see me, Buhari directs ministers - P.M. News". www.pmnewsnigeria.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  19. "Abba Kyari: Prime minister in a presidential system". Businessday NG. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  20. "Oyo-Ita, Kyari In Heated Argument At Presidential Villa". Channels Television. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  21. "Buhari sacks Head of Service, Oyo-Ita - Premium Times Nigeria". 18 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  22. Alli, Yusuf (23 March 2020). "Alleged N570m fraud: Ex-Head of Service Oyo-Ita arrested". The Nation. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  23. Ogundipe, Samuel (17 February 2020). "UPDATED: EXCLUSIVE: Buhari's team in disarray as NSA Monguno declares war on Abba Kyari". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  24. Haruna, Mohammed. "Tahir: The Death of a Radical Conservative".
  25. Kyari, Aisha Abba (5 May 2020). "Aisha Abba Kyari: My daddy, my best friend". TODAY. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  26. Owoseye, Ayodamola (24 March 2020). "UPDATED: Coronavirus: Abba Kyari reportedly tests positive; Kingibe, others may be tested". Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  27. Desert Herald. "EXCLUSIVE: Buhari's Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari Admitted at London's Hospital". Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  28. "Top Nigerian president aide, state governor test positive for coronavirus". Reuters. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  29. "Covid-19: Why I moved to Lagos after testing positive - Abba Kyari". Daily Trust. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  30. "Buhari's Chief Of Staff Abba Kyari Dies". The Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  31. "Abba Kyari, who tried to clean up Nigeria, dies of covid-19". The Economist. 25 April 2020.
  32. Nseyen, Nsikak (18 April 2020). "Abba Kyari: 10 things to know about Buhari's late Chief of Staff". Daily Post. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
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