Buhari And His Care For The Kyaris

By Bala Ibrahim

When shortly after the announcement of Mele Kyari, as the new GMD of the NNPC, I read the comments of someone on Facebook, who wants to change her surname to Kyari, because she thinks PMB has an obsession with the name Kyari, I became thrilled to the jaw with jubilant joy. Nigerians are greatly ingenious in humor, even when in distress, and that supports the song of late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, suffering and smiling. My mind also ran to a cliche that went viral on the social media one time, ingeniously crafted by another Nigerian, and credited to someone who converted to Islam and was asked to choose a name from the suggested prominent Muslim names. 

The said converter perused through the names, including Mohammed, the greatest of all Prophets, the founder of Islam and the most revered messenger of God, but wasn’t satisfied with any, despite the recommendations of the cleric who helped in guiding him to make the necessary proclamation of faith. He said he wants to be called DANGOTE. Hahahahaha! He thought the name Dangote is superior to Mohammed in Islam and he is what he is, because of his faith.

That brings me to Buhari and his perceived obsession for the KYARIS. PMB is today directly or indirectly working with three different people bearing the names Abba Kyari. The first Abba Kyaris are the chief of staff to the president, the second is a top ranking serving police officer of the Nigerian Police Force in the rank of a Deputy Commissioner of Police, and the third is the newly appointed GMD of the NNPC. The Confusion of their personalities is partly political and partly mischievous. Long before Buhari became the president, he had a Senior professional colleague in the military bearing the name Abba Kyari, who retired as a Brigadier General, after serving as one time the Governor of North Central State, with Headquarters in Kaduna, the residential city of the president. On becoming the president, PMB picked an Abba Kyari as his Chief of Staff. 

As a lawyer, journalist, banker and administrator, Abba Kyari has been holding that position and wielding incredible influence in the government. Political critics have accused the president of picking Abba Kyari as Chief of Staff because of military nepotism, saying he is the blood brother of the late Brigadier General, who hailed from the North East, and one who mentored Buhari and influenced his promotion and posting to the North East as Governor.

They also linked him up with the newly appointed GMD, who took over from Dr. Maikanti Baru. Those claims were punctured even by the most critic of PMB’s regime, in the person of Chief Femi Fani Kayode, who tweeted thus, “We must be factual in our criticism, otherwise it erodes our credibility. It is NOT true to say that Mallam Abba Kyari is the blood brother of late Brigadier Abba Kyari, nor Mele Kyari, the new GMB of NNPC. I have known Abba for 40 yrs and I assure you that Mele is not a member of his family.”

Another powerful Abba Kyari in the government is DCP Abba Kyari, the youngest DCP in Nigeria today and the most dreaded person in the criminal circle of kidnappers. Kyari is the head of the IRT, the intelligence arm under the office of the IGP, that has made name in tracking and arresting terrorists all over the country. Because of his fearlessness and dedication to duty, DCP Kyari’s name rings like a bell, as he gives sleepless nights to terrorists and make life miserable to the kidnappers. He is neither related in blood to the late Brigadier Abba Kyari nor the chief of staff to the president.

The coming on board today of another Kyari, who hails from the same north east zone, is also purely coincidental, but mischief makers may continue to be suspicious or even superstitious. The three Kyaris are not related in any way other than the coincidence of originating from the same region.

In the pursuit of merit and his readiness to rid the system of mediocrity, PMB is a constant victim of blackmail, which a-times comes amusing and bemusing, with the latest being his care for the Kyaris.