President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, is dead

The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, is dead. He died of coronavirus. He received treatment at a private hospital in Lagos.

His death was announced by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a Tweet early Saturday.

“Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, passes on. May God rest his soul. Amen. Funeral arrangements to be announced soon,” Mr Adesina wrote.

Mr Adesina wrote in a short statement sent the media, saying, “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. May God accept his soul. Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.”

Mallam Abba Kyari had on March 23 tested positive to the novel coronavirus. On March 29, he issued a statement on his decision to be moved to Lagos for “further test and observation.”

The statement was the first official confirmation of his COVID-19 status since he was confirmed positive six days earlier.

In his statement, he said; “I have made my own care arrangements to avoid further burdening the public health system, which faces so many pressures.”

“This is a precautionary measure: I feel well, but last week I tested positive for Coronavirus, the pandemic that is sweeping the world. I have followed all protocols the government has announced to self-isolate and quarantine."

Mallam Kyari had travelled to Germany on March 7 and returned about a week later. He is suspected to have contracted the disease while there.

The chief of staff, who was in Europe alongside the minister of power, Saleh Mamman, returned to the country on March 14.

The duo had travelled to Germany to meet with officials of Siemens AG in pursuit of the deal recently signed between the Nigerian government and the power company towards improving electricity supply in the country.

Mallam Kyari was first appointed chief of staff to the president in 2015 when President Buhari came to power and was reappointed last year after the president won reelection.

Mallam Abba Kyari held Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick in Law and Sociology.

He worked with the New Nigeria Development Company, New Africa Holdings, African International Bank, the United Bank for Africa, Unilever, and Mobil in various capacities over the years.