Buhari may unveil Ibrahim Gambari as new Chief of Staff today
Barring last minute change of mind, President Muhammadu Buhari may today unveil retired diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, as his new Chief of Staff.
Though Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mr. Femi Adesina, did not answer calls placed to get an official comment for the report, sources within the Presidency and the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, confirmed the development on Tuesday night.
One of the sources at the Presidency however disclosed that the announcement of Gambari’s appointment will be made at the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council today.
Meanwhile, in a statement by his aide, Abdulazeez Arowona, on Tuesday, the Ilorin emir thanked President Muhammadu Buhari “for appointing Professor Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff.”
The emir described the appointment as a “great honour to the entire people of Ilorin Emirate and Kwarans at large.”
If officially unveiled today, Gambari will replace Malam Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to President Buhari, who died of coronavirus (COVID-19) complications last month.
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Gambari, 75, who is from Kwara State, was former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Department of Political Affairs.
He was minister of External Affairs when Buhari was military head of state between 1983 and 1985.
He is currently the founder/chairman of Savannah Centre External link in Abuja, a think-tank for research, training and public policy debate on the nexus between diplomacy (conflict resolution), democracy and development in Africa.
His last assignment at the United Nations was as the joint special representative of the secretary general and chairperson of the African Union Commission/gead of the UN and AU hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from January 2010 to July 2012.
