Information available to 247ureports.com obtained through sources within the executive structures of the ruling political party, the All Progressive Congress [APC] indicate that all may not be well with the activities and backgrounds of the recent choice made by the President of the federal republic of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari to fill the sensitive position of the Chief of Staff. President Buhari had tapped on Alhaji Abba Kyari to fill the seat of chief of staff to the President.
Loading ...According to the information gathered, Alhaji Abba Kyari was asked to provide a voluntary public declaration of his personal assets by a reviewing committee set up by the President to review potential candidates to fill vacancies at the presidency. Alhaji Abba Kyari refused to submit to the request but continued to mount a soft and caustic lobby for the position of Chief of Staff. The review committee went on to clear Alhaji Abba Kyari for the position – and President Buhari made the announcement the following day.
Interestingly, cursory investigation into the backgrounds of the Chief of Staff reveals that he may have had reasons to not want to declare his assets publicly. On the first level, Alhaji Abba Kyari who is not an indigene of Bauchi State is said to have worked his way into the civil service structure of the State to receive benefit that are deemed illegal for non-members of the civil service of Bauchi State to receive. During the Mu’azu administration, as the state government looked to reward its civil servants with land allocations, it mapped out an estate land and pre-developed it in readiness to sell it at a discounted rate to the Bauchi State workers. The land allocations [empty space of land] were sold at N2.9million for 450square meters. But Alhaji Abba Kyari obtained a land of 4,000square meters at a meager fee of N1.5million. The 4,000square meters of land contained two 4bedroom bungalows and four boys-quarters. Both the building structures and the land space were sold to Kyari at N1.5million.
Abba Kyari who is a kanuri man by tribe hails from Borno where he served with the Borno State Executive Council as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in 1990. He served as Honorary Member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Investment in Nigeria between 2000 and 2005. He had also served as an employee at the United Bank of Africa [UBA] – where it was alleged he was sacked due to scrupulous activities unbecoming for the position he held at the bank. A source said certain funds were unaccounted for which were traced to his office.
Also, Abba Kyari served at the T. Y. Danjuma Foundation as one of the members of the board of trustees. He held sway of the activities at the foundation. Most of the resources are reported to be under his control. As 247ureports.com learnt, most of the monies released by donors or T. Y. Danjuma seldom reach its destination. One particularly instance concerned T. Y. Danjuma’s expressed desire to release N2billion to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as part of his foundation’s philanthropic gestures. Abba Kyari was quick to request that the money be placed under his custody – from where it will be disbursed gradually to the institution – as per need basis. Abba Kyari wanted control of the money. T. Y. Danjuma rejected the passionate appeal from Kyari – knowing the person of Kyari and his ability to liquidate funds before it gets to the destination. T. Y. Danjuma, not only rejected the appeal, he held on to the money and never donated it to the school.
Sources who claim to know the person of Abba Kyari state that he is not fit to remain at the seat of Chief of Staff. One of the sources who spoke to 247ureports.com indicated that “Kyari is a common criminal and Buhari does not know this”. The source went on to add that “Kyari must be made to declare his assets publicly because the office of chief of staff is too sensitive to allow a rogue run free with power”.
