Next Sunday 17th of May, would make it exactly one month since Buhari's most trusted right hand man, and who was so powerful that he was regarded as the de factor president of the country, was announced dead.
Late Malam Abba Kyari, was a man both liked and despised by Nigerians, but who was also referred to as the most misunderstood individual in Buhari administration by Buhari's personal assistant on new Media, Bashir Amad, and those who seem to know him than his despisers. Even Buhari's critic, Fani Kayode had good things to say about the late Chief of Staff.
But not everyone shared the view that Kyari was a good man by any means. Fani Kayode did received some sticks for the good things he said about the late Chief of Staff.
While views on the late Chief of Staff will remain divided forever, a recent tribute to the late Chief of Staff was published by Daily Trust, and it was quite revealing.
According to the article, Kyari was appointed for a specific reason, and as a loyal friend, he simply did exactly what he was told to do.
Below are the four things he was tasked to do by whoever appointed him into the Buhari cabinet:
First he was not to allow the president’s wife share the presidential limelight with the president. His brief here was to ensure she stayed within the straight and narrow confines of a normal wife and not attempt to have her own elaborate sideshow in the presidential villa as was the practice with past presidential wives.
Secondly, he was to ensure that appointments and recruitment into various positions and favours were granted only to persons who would agree to conform and be loyal to the president above all else.
The third brief was for the late Abba Kyari to keep an eagle-eyed interest on all the activities of the presidential appointees and ensure that what they did in their official and private capacities did not go contrary to the principles and world view of the president and his closely knit power circle.
Fourthly, the late CoS was to keep a keen eye on developments in the polity especially within the ruling political party the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ensure that the political interest of the president and his inner circle prevailed over any other.
The article further stated that in this role, the late Abba Kyari functioned as de facto president.
In the full knowledge of the powerful forces urging him on and the secrets he came to know of powerful personalities and their bearing on government and politics, he became indispensible to the inner circle of power on whose behalf he was operating.
In a tribute, President Buhari for whom the late Abba Kyari exerted himself in the manner he did, described him aptly as “the gatekeeper who was the best of us’’.