Abba Kyari, ‘a largely honourable man’ who tried to clean up Nigeria – The Economist of London

The Economist of London in an article published on Thursday said that Abba Kyari, the late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, was a man who tried to clean up Nigeria while he served in Aso Rock.

The highly respected Newspaper described the late presidential aide as “a largely honourable man” who wanted the best for his country.

According to the publication, Kyari was often bothered about the degree of corruption in the country and thought of ways to end it, citing an instance when the boss of an energy company “forgot” a bag stuffed with $100 bills at his office.

Kyari in response, was quoted to have said, “much too much of our work is spent on stopping our own people stealing”.

The publication continued, “While Mr Kyari was alive, others were much less kind. Many saw him as the figurehead for a shadowy cabal that controlled policy and appointments, and granted favours and contracts.”

“Cabinet ministers grumbled that they could not get past his door to discuss important issues with a distant and apathetic president. Mr Kyari’s economic thinking, which seemed stuck in the 1970s, was also criticised.

“There was some truth to these accusations. Yet there is also a broader parable of Mr Kyari. It is one of a largely honourable man who went to the heart of a thoroughly corrupt and dysfunctional system, aiming to reform it—but who struggled to overcome its inertia amid a series of crises.

“He was known to turn down offers of free upgrades to first class (he thought it vulgar) before taking his seat in business class on British Airways flights.

“The corruption and decay of Nigeria’s state, and the inequality they bred, dismayed and worried him. Nigeria had to change, he argued. The question was whether it would be through orderly reform or chaotic breakdown.”

The Economist noted thta it is unfortunate that Kyari served in a government at a time the crash in oil prices pushed the Nigeria economy into recession but he had hoped that Buhari’s second term would provide an opportunity to liberalise the corrupt oil and gas industries by taking them out from the hand of politicians.

Abba Kyari died from COVID-19 complications last Friday and was buried in Abuja the following day.