Friends, acquaintances and those who worked with Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, said on Wednesday that the new calling of the experienced diplomat and academic will redefine the approach to national and international affairs at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Dr. Abubakar Umar Kari, an Associate Professor of Political Sociology and Dean of Student Affairs, University of Abuja, said while Prof. Gambari’s appointment was a good one, it, however, came unexpectedly particularly as he was not among those predicted to be the new chief of staff by pundits after the demise of Malam Abba Kyari.
He said the appointment was also unique because it wasn’t rightly predicted as Buhari was not noted for being unpredictable.
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“Most of his (Buhari) actions can be predicted,” he said.
Kari said it was a well-deserved appointment because the new chief of staff has excellent credentials, experience and national and international connections.
He said a noteworthy aspect of the appointment was that Gambari, for now, seemed not to be aligned to any of the feuding groups in the Presidency nor could he be linked to any political party.
“He is non-partisan and you can’t link him to any party or any faction which is an advantage.”
He said the new appointee’s biggest selling point is his international connection, “The president, this government and this country need Prof. Gambari’s extensive network of contacts outside the country.
“Our economy is in shambles and we are cap in hand begging for loans from other wealthy nations and multinational agencies.
“So, we need someone who can network with them seamlessly.
“He is someone with a network of leaders of nations, UN and other multilateral agencies.”
‘He’ll help resolve ASUU-FG disagreements’
The Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Umaru Pate said the coming of Prof. Gambari is a welcome development that Nigerians greet with hope and renewed expectations.
He said the president has, without doubt, made a uniquely important choice in bringing in Prof Gambari to this sensitive office which, in recent times, has assumed a very critical position in the affairs of governance in the country.
“His integrity and global credibility combined with his credentials as a peacemaker, bridge builder and a believer in consensus creation are real assets that Nigeria desperately need at this critical time in its history.
“Equally, his attainments in scholarship have imbued him with an excellent understanding of issues, which the president would find useful in helping to resolve critical national problems like the current ASUU-FG fundamental disagreements that have brought the system to a fix.
“For now, Nigerians appear to applaud the coming on board of Prof. Gambari in the Villa.
“He needs not to be reminded of his obligations to his creator, Nigeria, and his immediate boss, the president.
“There are plenty of lessons to guide him in the office. I wish him well,” Pate said.
Prof. Sylvester Odion, a political scientist at the Lagos State University, speaking on the appointment of Prof. Gambari, said, “Our expectation is that given what has happened in the last five years or so, we expect that he should bring quality to governance in terms of change and reverse the bad perception about the Buhari’s administration.”
What Nigeria will benefit from Gambari’s experience
Many prominent professors of political science and international studies also applauded the appointment of Professor Gambari.
Under the auspices of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), the scholars described the appointment as one of the best decisions taken by the president so far.
One of such senior professors in the ABU’s Political Science Department, Rauf Ayoade Dunmoye, described Gambari as a “scholar-diplomat with impressive credentials and pedigree capable of turning around the fortunes of the country and Buhari’s administration.”
Dunmoye said Gambari’s illustrious academic and public service career would impact significantly in the way Nigeria would be managed in the remaining years of Buhari’s administration, saying that Nigeria stands to benefit from his wealth of experience.
He said what matters most at this period of Nigeria’s development is experience, commitment and patriotism, which the new CoS to the president possesses.
Another professor of political science in the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Habu Muhammad, shared an article that described Gambari as someone that has a lot to bring to the table in moving Nigeria forward.
Muhammad shared the view that putting the rudiments of political science into practice can change Nigeria for the better and Professor Gambari has demonstrated in the past that he is a political scientist in both theory and practice.
Appointment converting President’s critics?
Daily Trust reports that other scholars in the NPSA that were hitherto ardent critics of the president, had for the first time on Wednesday applauded Buhari for putting “square peg in a square hole.”
A photo-diary of past heads of department hanging in the office of the Head, Department of Political Science and International Studies of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria indicates that Professor Gambari served the department as HOD between 1982 and 1984.
Sources said Prof. Gambari has one wife and children.
“One of the children is a lawyer while the wife is also a PhD holder,” one of the sources said.
“His family members are doing well in their different dealings and that is why you hardly hear of them especially in relation to his engagements and professional callings,” another source said.
‘Allow the president to take some decisions’
An economist, who was also the 2019 presidential candidate of Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Tope Fasua, told Daily Trust that Prof. Gambari is a gentleman who has a lot of experience from the international scene.
Fasua, who is Secretary of the Daily Trust Board of Economists, said his little knowledge of Prof. Gambari was that of an intellectual who made some marks in the international scene, came back and got involved in civil society matters including organising some forums for political aspirants to discuss governance.
“We know that the other gentleman, who passed away, unfortunately, held a lot of influence over Nigeria. I am thinking this may not be the case for Gambari, who I think may be an organised person. Perhaps, he may give more leeway to people who wish to access the president than the former person,” he said.
Fasua advised Prof. Gambari to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor who took on too much which weighed him down and also weighed his health down much lately.
“You can’t micro-manage Nigeria. You have to give a little; take a little. He should also allow the president to take some critical decisions and not to take some decisions on his behalf,” he advised the new the Chief of Staff.
Similarly, the Chairman, Governing Board of the Federal University of Petroleum, Effurun, Delta State, Prof. Shehu Abdullahi Zuru, said he followed Professor Gambari’s remarkable career as a diplomat. “Prof. is not just brilliant but a force of nature in international diplomacy. As far as merit is concerned, this is an appointment that Mr President must be commended for. I have no doubt that, Prof. Gambari has the intelligence, the integrity and capacity to deliver on the expectations of that office and Nigerians,” he said.
‘His age may pose a barrier’
For his part, a lawyer, Ali Zubairu Esq. said Prof. Gambari’s pedigree speaks for itself but expressed concern over the age of the new CoS to the President.
“Whereas he is qualified, I am concerned with his age vis-a-vis the task at hand,” he said.
Kinsmen hopeful Gambari will deliver
The National President of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Aliyu O. Uthman, while reacting to Professor Gambari’s appointment, said he was one of the nation’s most resourceful and stainless diplomats.
He described the new chief of staff as an illustrious scholar and outstanding son of Ilorin Emirate worthy of being the gatekeeper of the Buhari administration.
“The Professor of International Studies is strategically positioned by virtue of his academic standing, international exposures and impeccable career to assist the president in running his administration.
“I’m convinced that he would not be constrained by any encumbrance as his detribalised dispositions and integrity-filled diverse experience demonstrated in previous national and global engagements over the years are clear testimonies of his sterling and uncommon capability,” he said.
The IEDPU national president said the appointment came at the right time because the nation needed someone who is well-grounded in diplomacy, international politics, global economics and corruption-free to provide the needed link and resourcefulness that can galvanise and take the country forward.
Relationship between Buhari, Gambari
Credible sources said the relationship between President Buhari and Prof. Gambari spanned over four decades and was cemented further as both of them continued to pursue different endeavours.
“He (Gambari) is the best ever for the office and I am the very right person to give that verdict,” said Alhaji Lawan Idris, a long -time friend of President Buhari.
“He is a first-class scholar and his public relations is second to none. He has respect for all irrespective of their class either, rich, poor.
“He is a world-class diplomat fully appreciated out of his home base.
“It was a relationship of decades and I believe even late General Tunde Idiagbon (Buhari’s deputy and confidant during his days as military head of state) would attest to what I said if he were alive,” Idris said.
But while some sources said Buhari asserted his influence this time around in “solely” picking Prof. Gambari against the wish of “feuding forces” in the Villa, it was gathered that he nonetheless made elaborate consultations with some ministers “dear to his heart” whose names were earlier mentioned in the media as possible successors of the late Malam Abba Kyari.
Gambari was minister of external affairs under Buhari when he was military head of state between 1983 and 1985.
Gambari before latest appointment
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/head of the UN and AU hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from January 2010 to July 2012.
UNAMID under Gambari was the world’s largest international peacekeeping mission.
He has had an illustrious career, spanning academia, government and international diplomacy, culminating with his appointment as the first United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005).
He was the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (1990-1994) and on Peace-Keeping Operations (1990-1999).
He was Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (2005-2007) and also operated as UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe and Myanmar and Special Representative in Angola.
He is currently a Chairperson of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
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