Why Abba Kyari must remain what he is

Chris Whipple, Peabody Award-winning producer and author of the book, The Gatekeepers: “How the White House Chiefs of Staff define every presidency”, stated that having a good chief of Staff could make or break a presidency. The first concept of a Chief of Staff (or Presidential “confidant”) in American democratic system of government snakes all the way back to George Washington’s presidency, but the first modern Chief of Staff was Sherman Adams, President Dwight D Eisenhower’s right-hand man. (Internally, Adams was known as the “Abominable Noman”). Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Abba Kyari is the only Chief of Staff (COS) who has been at the centre of Nigeria’s political limelight; criticized, scrutinized and analyzed by his adversaries including even those who never knew or met him before, for more than two years, yet those motives and tactics remain veiled behind an inscrutable facade.

The job of Mr. Kyari is nothing less than to reflect the most authentic version of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) who believes in his person and appointed him as his COS. My speculation has always been; when you are a President, Vice President, Governor, Minister or a leader at the pinnacle of Nigeria’s political power, you are necessarily surrounded by layer and layer of bureaucracy. No wonder Mr. Kyari as the COS has disarmed those categories of commercial politicians and power brokers with such fevered theorizing of having things done in a dubious way.

When the President made him his COS, he knew Abba understand him very well and must be in position to interpret his body language and decode when to take an action or otherwise. He did so with a specific purpose in mind: ability to stand the pressure of the job and ability to stomach the criticism he will encounter in the course of discharging his task. There is no reason why PMB will not consult Kyari as every President or Governor will do to his Chief of Staff. His role since he’s been at the State House is one of the broadest and most expansive roles that ever existed in the Aso Rock Villa simply because of the expectation of Nigerians on the person that is at the helm of the nation’s affairs. As the COS, he helps determine who gets invited to the President’s office, residence, which file gets to the President table, who travel with the President, who attends state dinners and bill-signing ceremonies, and who sits where at any of the above. Not surprising, all these influences which are purely part of his mandate earned him legions of detractors. Even the COS to the Governor’s, Senate President, Speaker of House of Representatives, Deputy Governors and Ministers are not immune from the type of tantrums and hatred Malam Abba Kyari is going through. the Kyari today is the scapegoat, we were hearing of Chief Mike Oghiadhome during President Johnathan who was pushed out by forces superior same was heard of Malam Tanimu Yakubu the Economic Adviser to late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

Is Mr. Kyari’s role far more textured than various narratives would suggest? Is it because of his as a teller of hard truths, or doing the right thing that makes him make so much foes which they misconstrued that he wield so much influence and as an ear of the President to use media mercenaries to disparage him on daily basis? Many who criticized Kyari through media surrogate did view him as much of a threat for not having their selfish interest achieved. He had enjoyed cordial working relationship with other aides of the President and his subordinates.

The censure against him is all about power struggle and pressure from the commercial politicians. Those asking for his head are those that feel his presence have deprived them of unrestricted access to Mr. President. Many even accused him of being relatively unknown during the struggling times of PMB’s campaign. But they are wrong, today, we have many appointees of PMB that were never card carrying members of APC nor part of PMB’s campaign team. Where was Petroleum, FCT, States for Industry, Trade and Investment as well as that of Budget and Planning Ministers; Ibe Kachikwu, Musa Bello, Aisha Alhaji and Zainab Ahmad? It’s an undeniable fact that all accusations against Kyari are a handiwork of his antagonists who employ fifth columnist to smear his image or to paint him black before Nigerians as one of those maddening the effort of PMB’s administration. But a question begging for answer is: Is Kyari not serving the man that appointed him? The main motive of this group of people is to see PMB have him booted out in order to bring in a new COS who will dance to any kind of music they play.

Malam Abba’s thoroughness, know-how and inescapable presence made him an object of fear, hatred and scorn. As COS, he is the last Bus stop on whichever paper that need’s President’s attention. But, that is what his job requires him to do. As he continues to outlast his adversaries, it has increasingly fallen on him to do more than simply protect PMB from those gold diggers and commercial politicians who want to undermine his Presidency. There is no gainsaying that as the COS, it is a position which he is uniquely qualified for. Despite fifth columnists and social media mercenary’s mendacity and several attempts to drag his name to nepotism and hoax financial scandals in order to paint him corrupt, the COS have never lost focus in discharging his task.

Late last year protests against him were another handiwork of those that believed he is not allowing them misled the President for their selfish interest after failing to bring him down through print and social media. The questions begging for answers are: Who are these protesters? Where did they come from? Whose interest are they protecting? These questions are necessary given the fact that we are in a country where it has become a tradition to hire crowds for different purposes. Looking at those that protested against Malam Abba Kyari, any honest Nigerian will believe they were ignorantly conscripted innocent traders in the street of Abuja and suburb that were recruited to participate in the demonstration. In fact, crowd renting has become a lucrative business for many people. Because of the high level of unemployment in the country, a lot of youths and unemployed are ready tools. This is unfortunate. It is a fact that politicians have variously used rented crowds against opponents, real and perceived. Unfortunately, most of the protesters don’t usually know why they take to the streets. However, it must be noted that this kind of rented crowd protests didn’t even spare PMB himself last year while at hospital in United Kingdom, his political foes rented crowd and protesters by asking him to resign because he is not physically strong enough to rule, but today the same man the protesters asked to resign is hale and hearty discharging his obligation to Nigerians.

The recent hoax news that went viral on social media that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) attempted to arrest him was the highest shows of desperation by his adversaries who have failed after using many avenues to get him sacked by the President. Those that peddle the rumor must have forgotten that EFCC has a working rule and can’t go about arresting an accused as an armed robber. The press release of EFCC over the story did not only shame his enemies as the anti-graft agency denied any attempt to arrest nor investigating him of any accusation or petition. May be the next line of action from his detractors is to announce his dismissal, resignation, sack or even death.

It is therefore very important to state here that while it’s factual that a Chief of Staff mars or makes a Presidency, Malam Abba Kyari is not occupying the office to mar the Presidency, but to make the presidency. History is however repeating itself on occupant of such an Office. His is indeed not the first of such an attempt. Yahaya wrote this Gwarinpa, Abuja. piece from