Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari has died in a Lagos hospital on 17 April 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
The news was tweeted by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity to the President.
Also, the news was confirmed by the Presidency spokesman, Garba Shehu in a tweet: “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″.
Kyari was appointed to the position of the Chief of Staff to the President on 27 August 2015 and was reappointed in 2019 with Buhari’s re-election for a second term.
The President had ordered his cabinet to channel all requests through Kyari’s office, further enhancing his influence within government circles, and being labelled as the de facto head of government.
A Kanuri from Borno, Kyari was married to the sister-in-law of Ibrahim Tahir and had four children.
In 1980, 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.
In 1983, he was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School.
In 1984, he obtained a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Cambridge.
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Kyari later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
Abba Kyari was Executive Director, Management Services, United Bank for Africa Plc. (UBA) and later the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Bank. He was appointed a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc. in 2002.
He served as Honorary Member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Investment in Nigeria between 2000 and 2005.
He was a recipient of the Nigerian Honor Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N).
