By Emeka Alex Duru
The nearest the nation had come in witnessing appropriation and deployment of power and influence as manifested by the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, was with Tony Anenih of the Olusegun Obasanjo – Goodluck Jonathan administrations. As with Anenih, who held various positions including Minister for Works and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT), Kyari was a well-heeled player in the corridors of power. Both understood the extent acquisition and deployment of influence could go in commandeering the loyalty or even the subservience of others in dominating their environments.
While they reigned, they reined in their principals, to the chagrin of many and ended up attracting the tags of powers behind the throne. It did not seem that they were bothered that not many mentioned them in salutary terms. They were rather concerned at appropriating power and using it to their interest. Both were Machiavellian, taking no prisoners, leaving no room for real and perceived rivals but considered loyal to their friends. In life, Anenih was controversial – an uncanny tendency that earned him the tag, Mr. Fix It – a euphemism for election manipulation and other unprincipled engagements. Kyari was unobtrusive but his bland carriage spoke volumes in intrigues and power game, to the point of dwarfing President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo. He was seen by many as Nigeria’s de facto President.
The Man dies
When therefore, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, announced that the erstwhile Chief of Staff, had died on Friday, about 25 days after testing positive for COVID-19, it came to many as a shocker, given that he had a few days earlier, assured that he was getting better and would soon return to his duty post. Adesina had stated; “The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari. The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020”.
Nigerians react
The announcement elicited reactions from Nigerians in many ways, depending on their perceptions on the late CoS. Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmed, who reacted immediately after the announcement remarked that while Kyari was misunderstood by many, he was a good man. “Abba Kyari certainly was one of the most misunderstood people in the history of Nigeria. Those who had the opportunity to know him personally will tell you how extremely a good person he was. A man of honour, will be remembered as someone who sacrificed his life for this country”, Ahmed stated.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, prayed for God’s forgiveness for Kyari. He wrote, “Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’un! Death is inevitable. It only comes at our individually appointed time. May Allah forgive the shortcomings of late Mallam Abba Kyari and grant him speedy passage to Aljannatu Firdausi.”
Other politicians like former Delta State governor, James Ibori, PDP chieftain, Femi Fani-Kayode, acknowledged him as a dependable friend, regretting his demise.
How Kyari bowed to Covid-19
Close associates to Kyari, said he contracted the Covid-19 disease during a one-week working visit to Germany March 7 to 14. The late CoS, in company with the Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, had travelled to meet with officials of Siemens AG in pursuit of the deal Nigeria signed with the German energy company towards improving electricity supply in the country. Critics had queried his reasons for the trip, since he was neither the Power minister nor a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry.
Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, however saw his participation in the trip in the line of duty and as manifestation of his patriotic commitments to the country. He was quoted to have said; “Nigerians should note that that man died working without reservation for his country. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel facilitated the deal and President Buhari’s heart is deeply in that project. It was for that reason that Alhaji Kyari and the power minister were sent by the president to that European country for a follow-up meeting. Unfortunately, he caught the virus there, while working with other people to give Nigeria steady electricity.”
Before he was diagnosed with the Coronavirus on March 23, Kyari, had an underlying medical condition and had sought treatments overseas in the past. He was believed to be an asthmatic patient who routinely had breathing problems that necessitated periodic trips to London hospitals, in addition to being diabetic.
The Presidency after Kyari
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has described his death as a huge loss to Buhari. The greater fear however is that his death may trigger the various tendencies and power blocs in Aso Rock to fierce competition with one another on who gets the bigger slice of Buhari’s attention. Celebrated columnist and public affairs analyst, Farouk Kperogi, is emphatic that the exit of Kyari, will lay bare the piteous emptiness of the Buhari administration. “With Kyari’s death, Nigeria is now truly leaderless. Buhari is practically in the land of the living dead. He’s a breathing mannequin whose only reason for living is to prove he isn’t dead in order to justify the continuity of the rule in his name. Abba Kyari ruled the country on Buhari’s behalf”, he wrote.
Many, even in government, hold this view. Buhari is yet to convince even his ardent supporters that he is actually in charge of the administration. When the First Lady, Aisha, earlier in the life of the administration, cried out that some unelected characters were running the show, many listed Kyari among the hawks. The trend has not changed even in his second ter. If anything rather, close to his fifth year in office, the President is seen in some quarters as a mere sitting duck with Kyari and a certain Mamman Daura, his uncle, dictating what happens. What happens in the days ahead, following the exit of the CoS, will define how far the administration goes.
Kyari, a Kanuri from Borno, is believed to be around 80 years or thereabout. 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. He was on the board of many companies before his appointment in 2015.