The chief of staff is not to be heard, says Gambari

Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff President Muhammadu Buhari, says as the president’s assistant, he is not to be heard.

Speaking during a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, Gambari said he would provide the president with the “best advice to organise the office and to make sure that the machinery runs smoothly.”

“It is about the president, not about the chief of staff,” he said during the phone-in programme.

“I am, as the chief of staff, his assistant, one of his assistants, and maybe one of his principal assistants; and that has to be understood right from the beginning.

“The chief of staff is not to be heard but to be there to serve the president and to make sure his priorities are carried out efficiently, properly and broadly.”

He also told Nigerians to expect a “very loyal, dedicated and hopefully, efficient service” to the president in terms of his priorities and legacy.

Asked how he would interact with Nigerians, he said: “That will be dependent on the demands of the office but as I said, it is not about the chief of staff but is about the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), announced on Wednesday that Buhari had appointed Gambari to replace Abba Kyari who died on April 17 after contracting COVID-19.

The new chief of staff, who is from Kwara state, was the minister of external affairs from 1984 to 1985 under Buhari’s military regime.

He also served as the under secretary-general of the UN and special adviser to the secretary-general on Africa between 1999 and 2005.