By Dele Moses, Ilorin
Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has praised the appointment of Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gambari, a former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations who was also a Minister of Foreign Affairs when Buhari was a Military Head of State hails from Ilorin, Kwara State.
The Governor who saw the appointment as “a befitting development that is rooted in dedication, loyalty, and history” thanked the president for honouring the appointee and the state with the appointment.
Abdulrazaq spoke just as his predecessor in office, Abdulfatah Ahmed, also described the appointment as “timely and merited.”
The Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, congratulated Gambari who he said deserved the appointment.
The statement reads: “The appointment is clearly fit for purpose and is deserving for our own Professor Gambari whose record of service as a diplomat and global statesman is unblemished. On behalf of my family, the government and people of Kwara State, I congratulate the Wambai Ilorin for this historic appointment.
“Professor Gambari has always been one of the ‘President’s men’ for decades and it is not surprising that he has been appointed at this crucial moment to serve as his chief of staff. We commend Mr. President for yet again honouring not just one of his renowned loyalists of all time but also the people of Kwara State who still relive his relationship with one of Nigeria’s finest military officers and son of Kwara late Major-General Tunde AbdulBaki Idiagbon.
“We pray the Almighty Allah to guide and protect Professor Gambari on this delicate national assignment and to not stop his blessings and protection for President Muhammadu Buhari whose administration continues to impact positively in the lives of the masses.”
Ahmed, in his reaction through a Twitter message, said that Gambari, given his credentials and antecedents, would prove “a stellar and loyal anchor for the president in this new appointment.”
He stated: “I thank President Muhammed Buhari for appointing the credentialed Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari (CFR), a Kwaran, as Chief of Staff. This appointment is timely and merited. As a former minister, diplomat, and academic, Professor Gambari’s wealth of experience and diplomatic clout will not only embellish the Presidency, it will also bolster it in the current global coalition against the dreaded coronavirus.
“I believe Prof Gambari’s exemplary stint as Minister of Foreign Affairs during President Buhari’s tenure as Head of State provided the President with a first-hand insight into Gambari’s quality as a smart technocrat with the clout, maturity, and insight necessary for success as Chief of Staff.
“Based on these qualities, I was delighted to appoint Prof. Gambari as pioneer Chancellor of Kwara State University while I was Governor of the State. Given these antecedents, I know that Prof Gambari will prove a stellar and loyal anchor for the President in this new assignment.”