Lasun Alagbe
Call him President Muhammadu Bihari’s administration power house, and you would not be far from the truth. Based on long-term relationship, the trust the President had in him and by virtue of his impressive education and experience, Buhari practically made him the main man of his government. This was to the extent that some people believe he was more powerful and influential than the Vice President.
Indeed, during Buhari’s second inauguration last May, the President made it clear that his aides had better be prepared to see Kyari on matters that they might otherwise have needed him for. As usual, this raised eyebrows but Buhari was convinced that the working relationship he had with the man, who was also his entrenched friend, was strategic to the actualisation of the agenda of his government.
When death came calling on Friday, through the coronavirus pandemic, one can only imagine how deeply pained the President would be. Incidentally, there was good news some days back when it was said that Kyari’s treatment for coronavirus was successful, with the info that he was recuperating. But death appeared to have insisted it was time, thus robbing the government and, indeed, the nation of one of its most experienced technocrats.
And whatever some ill feelings some people might have about his style, the fact is that Kyari had the kind of education one should be proud of. And a rich professional life too. Although nothing much is, according to a profile, known about his early life, he was a Kanuri from Borno State. In 1980, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Warwick, and also received a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Cambridge. In 1983, he was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School.
In 1984, he obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Cambridge. He later attended the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994, respectively.
On March 24, 2020, it was made public that Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on March 23, following an official trip to Germany nine days before. It was also reported that Kyari had underlying medical conditions, and was secretly flown out of the country.He later rejected these claims, and was moved from Abuja to Lagos.
Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria. From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna.
In 1990, he served as a Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State. From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was the secretary to the board of African International Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Credit and Commerce International.
Kyari was an executive director in charge of management services at the United Bank for Africa, and was later appointed the chief executive officer. In 2002, he was appointed a board director of Unilever Nigeria, and later served on the board of Exxon Mobil Nigeria.
