PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS A NEW CHIEF OF STAFF TO REPLACE LATE ABBA KYARI

PROFESSOR IBRAHIM GAMBARI

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari as his new Chief of Staff, according to presidential sources and the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

In a statement by his aide, Abdulazeez Arowona, the Ilorin emir thanked President Muhammadu Buhari “for appointing Professor Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff.”

Professor Gambari, 75, was, however, said to be “awaiting an official letter of confirmation.”

Professor Gambari was the former Minister for External Affairs between 1984 to 1985 when President Buhari was the military Head of state.

He was a recipient of the country’s third highest national honour, Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR)

He replaces Abba Kyari who died on the 17th of April of complications from Coronavirus.

THE MAN, GAMBARI

Professor Gambari was born in Ilorin, Kwara State on November 24, 1944.

He attended King’s College, Lagos for his secondary education and subsequently attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Economics with specialization in International Relations.

He picked up a career in teaching, which he began in 1969 at City University of New York before working at University of Albany.

Afterwards, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria, Kaduna State, the second largest university in Africa.

He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, USA in Political Science /International Relations.

Also, between 1986 and 1989, he was a visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University and Howard University.

He was 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 center in Italy

He was appointed chairperson of the African Union Commission as Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur in 2010.

Ban Ki moon appointed Professor Gambari as Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Issues for the Secretary-General of UN in 2007.