Nigerians woke up on Saturday morning to the rude shock that Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, had died.
Kyari who died after testing positive for coronavirus weeks ago has already been buried in Abuja.
Below are 10 things to know about him.
1. Abba Kyari hailed from Borno State and was born on November 17, 1938.
2. The 81-year-old was a lawyer, businessman and politician.
3. In August 2015, Kyari was appointed as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. He was reappointed in 2019.
4. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Warwick, England, in 1980.
5. The late COS also held a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from the University of Cambridge, England and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983.
6. Kyari had worked as an Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited, Kaduna Between 1988, and had served with the Borno State Executive Council as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in 1990.
7. He also worked as an Executive Director, Management Services, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and was appointed a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc in 2002.
8. He served as Honorary Member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Investment in Nigeria between 2000 and 2005.
9. Kyari was a holder of the Nigerian Honour Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N).
10. Kyari, who died after battling COVID-19, is survived by wife and four children.
In what appears to be a tribute to late Abba Kyari, the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmed, described late Abba Kyari, as one of the most misunderstood persons in the history of Nigeria.
“Abba Kyari certainly was one of the most misunderstood people in the history of Nigeria.
“Those who had the opportunity to know him personally will tell you how extremely a good person he was.
“He was a man of honour and will be remembered as someone who sacrificed his life for this country,’’ Ahmed wrote.
