There is a Yoruba saying that literally implies that, though we may be fighting, we should not wish each other dead.
But the veracity of this witty saying seems to have been put to test by recent comments on social media, particularly after it was reported that Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, tested positive for coronavirus, the pandemic that has almost shattered global peace.
In the wake of the shocking news of Kyari contracting the deadly disease, many, who can now be said to have bottled up anger and animosity against him, poured not only invectives on him but also penned words that tended to suggest that they did not pray he survives the attack!
But those who are sympathetic to his plight are quick to ask some pertinent questions: Who has Kyari wronged? What are his “sins”? Indeed, the foregoing posers tend to force one to take a critical look at the persona of the man in the eyes of storm.
Sources, who spoke to Society Watch under anonymity, claimed that those who do not wish the CoS to the President well were only terrified by his growing fame and success. No doubt Kyari has successfully blocked those who want to take advantage of the president, as Chief of Staff to the President, he sees all memos to the president and points out the not-so-good intentions. This has angered the opportunists whose only intention is to grab for themselves .
Kyari’s supporters have also posited that his critics were also not comfortable about his closeness to the President, a situation that has always made him a subject of discussion and gossip from different corners. Indeed, his fans wondered if it is a crime that Kyari has the listening ears of the President. With him out of picture temporarily, the opportunists thought they could quickly take advantage and get close to the president. Well unfortunately that has not happened as Coronavirus has only widened the distance with the president, in the name of social distancing.
Also, Kyari’s admirers stated that his critics can’t understand how he had been able to win the confidence of the President since he became the CoS in 2015. His admirers, attributed his closeness to the President as well as his influence to his intelligence, brilliance, hard work and constant quest for excellence. “He is almost a perfectionist and his unshaken loyalty to Buhari has been tested so many times. Another factor is that he is too blunt for some people’s liking,” a source said.
There is no doubt that Kyari is the most influential and powerful official in the presidency today. In fact, many refer to him as de facto Prime Minister of Nigeria. Hate him or love him, he remains one of the most powerful personalities in the country today. He is so powerful that he is always a subject of discussion and gossip from different corners of homes and offices around the country.
When the man sneezes, many catch cold, he is highly respected and the same time feared by some government officials. He is revered as the most powerful Chief of Staff in the history of Nigeria. A source revealed to Society Watch that you are not doing yourself any good if you need anything from the presidency without his approval as his word is law. He plans Buhari’s schedule -who to see and who he should not see.
