By Francis Ogwo
The United States of America has eulogised the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari who died recently.
In a condolence message to President Buhari from The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy described the late arrowhead of the government as an asset to the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Nigeria.
Wikipedia revealed that the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs within the United States Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary for Political Affairs.
This exalted position is being occupied by Tibor Nagy.The 70 year old who was born in Budapest, Hungary is a former American foreign service officer who served as the American ambassador to Guinea and also to Ethiopia.
Upon retiring from the Foreign Service, Nagy served as Vice Provost for International Affairs at Texas Tech University where he graduated in 1972. He also holds a master’s degree from The George Washington University.
In his words ,the astute diplomat said:
“He was a valued and respected interlocutor for the U.S. government and particularly for our leadership team in Abuja.
“We appreciate working with him on many important matters, including the return to the Nigerian people of over $300 million in funds stolen by Sani Abacha.
“He envisioned the funds going to three geographically disparate infrastructure projects as a way to unite Nigeria economically.”
According to a recent Reuters report, The United States and the British dependency of Jersey signed an agreement with Nigeria to repatriate the funds stolen by former military ruler General Sani Abacha.
When Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until he died in 1998, Transparency International estimated that he stole as much as $5 billion of public money during his regime.
This return of the fund according to reports was made possible with huge efforts from the late Kyari.
The tribute also described him as committed to Nigeria’s fight against corruption which has been a flagship project of the Buhari government he served.
“His dedication to this matter, to fighting corruption, and to countless other investments and policies for the future of Nigeria will leave a lasting impact on your country,” he added.
The journey towards achieving the current strength in bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the United States didn’t start today.
According to Google sources,the United States established diplomatic relations with Nigeria in 1960 after Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom. From 1966 to 1999, Nigeria was shaken with series of military coups.This was excluding the short second republic between 1979 and 1983.
In 1999 the inauguration of a civilian president was held which led to a boost to the U.S.-Nigerian relationship, as well as cooperation on foreign policy goals such as regional peacekeeping.
In a similar development the British High Commission also commiserated with the people of Nigeria on Abba Kyari’s death.
A statement by Catriona Laing, the British High commissioner to Nigeria described the late Kyari as ‘tireless’ in his strive to make Nigeria better.
“On behalf of Her Majesty’s government and the British high commission to Nigeria, I wish to offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Abba Kyari who died yesterday.
“I engaged regularly with Abba Kyari in his capacity as chief of staff to the president and greatly valued our open, honest and frank dialogue. He brought spirit, tenacity and a tireless commitment to his beloved Nigeria.
“He was highly respected in the international community as a passionate champion of Nigeria’s interests. May his soul rest in peace. Our thoughts are with his family on this very sad occasion,” she added.
The late Abba Kyari in his lifetime had build a breathtaking profile as judged by many.He hailed from the Shuwa Arab ethnic group of Borno State and was born on November 17, 1952. He was a lawyer, businessman and politician.
In August 2015, Kyari was appointed as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. He bagged a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University of Warwick, England, in 1980 and also a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from the University of Cambridge, England and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1983.
He worked as an Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited, Kaduna Between 1988, and with the Borno State Executive Council as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in 1990.
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.
Kyari served as Honorary Member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Investment in Nigeria between 2000 and 2005.
Kyari was a holder of the Nigerian Honour Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N). He died after battling COVID-19 and is survived by his wife and four children.
