PROF IBRAHIM GAMBARI EMERGES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF
The position was previously held by Malam Abba Kyari, who recently passed on following an infection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The late Kyari was infected with COVID-19 about two weeks after he returned from a trip to Germany during which he met with officials of Siemens on Nigeria’s electricity expansion programme.
The rumoured appointment has generated some level of confusion among Nigerians, including those in Ilorin, Gambari’s hometown in Kwara state.
The news of the ‘appointment’ which had been trending as early 12.noon Tuesday on both conventional and social media platforms became a source of discussion and confusion among Nigerians.
Though yet to be officially confirmed, some Nigerians have started reacting with some describing the 75-year-old as best for job, while others said Buhari had shocked his critics by going for the global citizen as his CoS.
It was the same level of confusion in Ilorin, where Gambari hails from.
A couple of the indigenes who spoke to Naija Tracker on the telephone expressed surprise at the development and expressed appreciation to the president for the choice.
“Yes, we learnt Professor Gambari has been appointed. I think it just goes to tell you what surprise the president could spring. The president knows what he wants and that’s why he settled for him as his CoS.
“But in all, we still wait to hear officially from the Presidency even though I am not in doubt that the appointment is as good as being confirmed,” says Mallam Shehu O. Zakariyau, a retired immigration officer.
Similarly, another indigene of Ilorin, Mr Sulaiman M. Lawal, said: “That goes to tell you the thinking of Mr. President. At this critical time in the life of the nation, he does not need a politician to be in that office. Rather, he needs a statesman who will be able to provide necessary guide as the nation seeks a way out in this critical period of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Professor Gambari is one you can be described as tested and trusted, if I may use that phrase. With his exposure and wealth of experience at both the local and international scene, I think he is good for the job. However, I must quickly add that the silence by the presidency sort of creates some level of confusion here in Ilorin. But I strongly believe, it’s a done deal.”
Various names including a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe, former Lagos state governor, Brigadier-General Muhammad Buba Marwa and Minister of Education Adamu Adamu were being bandied around as likely successor to Kyari.
Emir thanks Buhari
Although the appointment could not be confirmed as at the time of this report, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, a cousin to the former under-secretary general at the United Nations, Tuesday thanked President Buhari over the said appointment.
Premium Times quoted a statement by the emir’s aide, Mr Abdulazeez Arowona, that the monarch thanked President Buhari “for appointing Professor Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff.”
The emir described the appointment as a “great honour to the entire people of Ilorin Emirate and Kwarans at large.”
The emir’s statement may have validated the ‘rumoured’ appointment of the foremost diplomat and retired varsity don, which up till the time of this report, remained under wrap at the Presidency.
Unveiling Gambari at FEC?
Meanwhile, Blueprint gathered that the ‘new CoS’ may be unveiled at the virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC)today by President Buhari, the first since the nation had come under lockdown following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yes, the appointment may not have been confirmed as we talk, but I can tell you that releasing the appointment letter is the only thing everyone is awaiting now. This may be done at tomorrow (Wednesday)’s FEC. The president may decide to announce same at the FEC meeting. That’s at his own discretion,” a source told Blueprint.
When Blueprint sought the comment of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Malam Garba Sheu, on the telephone last night, he said: “I have not being briefed. You should wait for official statement.”
Brief on Gambari
Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR (born November 24, 1944, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian scholar and diplomat. He was Minister for External Affairs between 1984 and 1985. Gambari has been appointed by the secretary-general of United Nations Ban Ki-moon and the chairperson of the African Union Commission as Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur effective from 1 January 2010. He is currently the Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Issues for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he served as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (USG) for the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). He was appointed on June 10, 2005, and assumed the post on July 1 of that year.
On March 4, 2013, Ibrahim Gambari was named by the then Kwara state Governor, AbdulFatah Ahmad, as the pioneer chancellor of the Kwara State University, making him the ceremonial head of the university who presides over convocations to award degrees and diplomas and also supports the vision and mission of the university in all respects, including fundraising, social, economic and academic goals.
Gambari is also co-chair of the Albright-Gambari Commission.
Education
Gambari attended King’s College, Lagos. He subsequently attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his B. Sc. (Economics) degree (1968) with specialisation in International Relations. He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, USA in Political Science /International Relations.
Academic career
He began his teaching career in 1969 at City University of New York before working at University of Albany. Later, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria, Kaduna state, the second largest university in Africa. From 1986 to 1989, he was Visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University and Howard University. He has also been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution also in Washington D.C. and a Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Rockefeller Foundation-run centre in Italy. He was accorded, honoris causa, the title of Doctor of Humane Letters (D.Hum.Litt.) from the University of Bridgeport. He is a member of the Johns Hopkins University’s Society of Scholars. He was decorated with the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the Government of Nigeria
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