PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS GAMBARI AS CHIEF OF STAFF Dauda Awwal (UK)

DAL INTERNATIONAL NEWS Friday 15th May, 2020

Facts are the lifeblood of Journalism

Volume 133

UK ISSN: 2633-2728

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PRESIDENT BUHARI APPOINTS GAMBARI AS CHIEF OF STAFF Dauda Awwal (UK) I thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for giving me the opportunity to serve him-Gambari Nigerian Presisent,Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari as his new Chief of Staff 13 May,2020. Gambari, 75 hails from Ilorin,Kwara State, replaces the late Abba Kyari who died of Coronavirus 17 April,2020. He is the longest serving

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Professor Ibrahim Gambari,CFR Ambassador of Nigeria to the United Nations.

Gambari was appointed as the Minister for External Affair in Nigeria between 1984 and 1985 during the Buhari/Idiagbon military rule the 75-year-old diplomat was also the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (1990-1994). He served under Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs between 2005 and 2007.

The new Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, is an Ilorin prince-grandson of Emir Shuaibu Bawa-Allah Ibn Zubair who reign between 1915 and 1919. He is an uncle to the present Emir of Ilorin-Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari who became the emir of Ilorin 1995.

Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the new Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed to the newsmen that his primary assignment was to report directly to the president, not to the public.

Gambari stated this on Wednesday 13 May 2020 when he spoke briefly to State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria commended President Muhammadu Buhari for finding him worthy to serve in the new capacity.

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"I thank the President of the Federal Republic for allowing me to serve him and of course, the country," he said.

Gambari, when asked what Nigerians should expect from him, he said: "We have not started, I'll have to find out. I don't report directly to the nation, I report to the President."Gambari promised to work with Buhari with honesty, competence, and loyalty.

Gambari at the Presidential Villa Following his new appointment, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari has arrived at the Presidential Villa for the FEC meeting which is presided by the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, and his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo in attendance. His appointment was officially announced by the Presidency on Wednesday 13 May 2020 at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Many prominent Nigerians have congratulated him on his new appointment as the Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar states in his congratulatory message that Gambari has the skill to serve the nation at the right time.

Atiku tweeted "Congratulations Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR on your appointment as Chief of Staff to @MBuhari. It is my hope and expectation and those of millions of Nigerians that you will deploy your varied skills garnered over the years in the service of our nation," Kwara State Government also congratulated the Professor Gambari in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Abdurrahman Abdurrazzaq, Rafiu Ajakaye, "The appointment is fit for purpose and it's deserving for our own Professor Gambari whose record of service as a diplomat and global statesman is unblemished.

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We pray the Almighty Allah to guide and protect Professor Gambari on this delicate national assignment and to not stop his blessings and protection for President Muhammadu Buhari whose administration continues to impact positively in the lives of the masses," he concluded.

A former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki also congratulated the New Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President.

He said: "I congratulate Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari on his appointment as Chief of Staff to President @MBuhari. Professor Gambari is a decent man, a cerebral academic, disciplined diplomat and he is coming in with the necessary pedigree that will help him to do well on the job."

Professor Gambari's uncle, the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu Gambari also congratulated Professor Gambari on his new appointment as Chief of Staff to Buhari.

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman Kwara State Council of Chiefs,Mai-Martaba,Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari congratulates Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari in his official statement signed by his Media Aide,Mallam Abdul Azeez Arowona. The Emir of Ilorin described Agboola's appointment as a great honour to the entire people of Ilorin Emirate and Kwarans at large.

He said the appointment would be justified by his outstanding contributions to his excellence and administrative experience which he would inject into the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Government towards good governance, democratic dividends as well as shared prosperity in Nigeria.

The Emir wishes Professor Ibrahim's successful tenure in office and expressed confidence in Gamari's ability to serve the nation with loyalty.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu also congratulates Professor Gambari in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile.

He said: ''The choice of Professor Gambari as the successor to the late Mallam Abba Kyari by President Muhammadu Buhari is commendable. Gambari is not just an academic or a diplomat, he is a fine gentleman, a decent Nigerian who epitomizes the Nigerian dream. ''My personal and official interactions with Professor Gambari have brought about nothing but meaningful development. He is a man of many parts.

I do not doubt that Professor Gambari's appointment is a major win for the presidency and the nation as a whole, especially coming at a time when Nigeria is confronting a major challenge with global outlook''.

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Gambari twitted said he is ready to serve Nigeria again with his competence and loyalty.

"My loyalty, competence and support", including that my guiding precept as Chief of Staff would be "to serve the President to the best of my ability''.

The National Leader of All Progressive Party, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu also have congratulated Gamabari, he said ''My knowledge of Chief of Staff Gambari is that he is an erudite man who knows and loves this country and who strongly believes in the Nigerian project and President Buhari's change agenda. He is no stranger to our party, APC, and its progressive national vision.

Over a long and illustrious career, Prof. Gambari has proved his mettle nationally and internationally. His resume takes a back seat to none. He distinguished himself as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar and Special Representative in Angola."

The retired diplomat hails from Ilorin, Kwara State.

"I do not doubt that he will succeed in this onerous assignment. I urge all Nigerians to give him all the support that he needs to perform in office."

Gambari arrived Presidential Villa in blue Agbada Born November, 1944 in Cente Igboro Compound, Ilorin, Kwara State,Nigeria. Prince Ibrahim Agboola Gambari attended the Provincial (now Government) Secondary School, 5

Ilorin before proceeding to the Floreat Collegium Kings College, Lagos. He received his BSc degree in economics from the London School of Economics (1968) and his MA and Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations (1970, 1974) from Columbia University, USA. Career Gambari is a scholar who taught International Relations and Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he became a professor in 1983. He later became a diplomat and served as a Minister for External Affairs between 1984 and 1985 during the Gen Muhammadu Buhari regime. He was also Nigeria's permanent representative to the United Nations for many years during the Gen.Ibrahim Babangida regime who ruled from 1985-1993.

He was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations-Ban Ki-moon and the chairperson of the African Union Commission as Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur from 1 January 2010. He served as the Special Adviser on the International Compact with Iraq and Other Issues for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Gambari holds the record of being the longest-serving Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (January 1990 to October 1999). Gambari served as the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (USG) for the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). He was appointed on June 10, 2005.

The new Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President, Pince Gambari has taught at universities in the United States, Nigeria, and Singapore and has to his credit the authorship of many books.

On March 4, 2013, Ibrahim Gambari was named by the Kwara State Governor, Abdul Fatah Ahmad, as the pioneer Chancellor of the Kwara State University, making him the ceremonial head of the university who presides over convocations to award degrees and diplomas and also supports the vision and mission of the university in all respects, including fundraising, social, economic and academic goals. Gambari is also co-chair of the Albright-Gambari Commission

Education Gambari attended King's College, Lagos, he attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his B. Sc. (Economics) degree (1968) with specialization in International Relations. He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, the USA in Political Science /International Relations.

Academic career

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Prince Ibrahim Agboola Gambari began his teaching career in 1969 at City University of New York before working at the University of Albany. Later, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria which is the second largest University in Africa.

From 1986 to 1989, he was Visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University, and Howard University. He has also been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. and a Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Centre, the Rockefeller Foundation-run center, Italy.

He was accorded, honoris causa, the title of Doctor of Humane Letters (D.Hum.Litt.) from the University of Bridgeport. He is a member of the Johns Hopkins University's Society of Scholars. He was decorated with the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the Government of Nigeria.

Professor Gambari appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in October 1983, a position he held until he was appointed the youngest ever Minister of External Affairs during Buhari/Idiagbon administration December 1983.

Before joining the UN Secretariat in December 1999, As Nigeria's Ambassador to the UN, he was a senior member of the Nigerian Delegation to ten consecutive sessions of the General Assembly (44th to 54th); he also served as President of the Security Council on two occasions (May 1994 and October 1995).

Apart from chairing the UN Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations from 19901999, he led several United Nations missions, including the Special Committee against Apartheid and the Security Council missions to South Africa, Burundi, Rwanda, and Mozambique. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) from 1993 to 1999 and also as President of the Executive Board of UNICEF (January to December 1999).

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Professor Ibrahim Gambari, COS to the Nigerian President Professor Gambari apart from publishing articles in national and international scholarly journals, he has authored globally acclaimed books which include: Theory and Reality in Foreign Policy Decision Making, Comparative Study of Regional Economic Integration; the Case of ECOWAS and The Domestic Politics of Nigeria's Foreign Policy.

Some of his forthcoming books include Africa's Security Questions at the End of the 20th Century into the New Millennium and The United Nations in a Changing World Order: An African Perspective. He had served in various academic capacities.

In recognition of his distinguished diplomatic and scholarly careers, he was in 1985 became the first African to be conferred with the title of 'Honorary Professor by Chugsan University' which was founded by and named after Dr. Sun Yat Sen, leader of the 1911 Peasant Revolution and first President of Nationalist China. The University of Bridgeport (USA) awarded him the Doctor of Humane Letters degree (honoris causa) in 2002; the prestigious Johns Hopkins University elected him to membership of the University's Society of Scholars in 2002 and the Government of Nigeria awarded him the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2003. He was also honoured by various associations including the Nigerian Lawyer Association, New York in 2006.

Professor Gambari is the founder of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental "think-tank" in Abuja, which is devoted to critical analyses of – and solutions to – the problems of conflict prevention, management, and resolution, as well as democratization and sustainable development in Africa.

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