A photographic tribute to Malam Abba Kyari (1953-2020), Chief-of-Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on April 17, 2020 from complications caused by coronavirus (COVID-19).
Abba Kyari was aptly eulogized by President Buhari as the ‘‘very best of us’’, who possessed the sharpest legal and organisational mind.
In the five years he spent in the corridors of power, Kyari was passionately dedicated to the development of infrastructure and the assurance of security for the Nigerian people he served so faithfully and diligently until his untimely death.
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From the optics of my photographic lens in the State House, who regularly covered the activities of Mr. President, the ‘‘red-cap chief’’, as we fondly called late Chief of Staff, was a calm, humble and passionate man so widely misunderstood and deliberately misrepresented by majority of Nigerians.
Usually dressed in native white ‘‘sokoto’’ and red cap, Malam Kyari was easily recognizable in the president’s meeting rooms, the Council Chamber and photo sessions and opportunities.
Beyond the pubic glare, his passion, diligence and dedication to duty was second to none and we saw in him someone who would readily give you a listening ear, fatherly advice and goodly counsel to the myriad of challenge we face each day as political appointees in government.
To his loving wife and family, I extend my heartfelt condolences at your loss and pray that in the quietness of your solitude, the almighty God who blesses those who mourn will visit you with His divine comfort.
PHOTO BY THE PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI ON PHOTOGRAPHY © APRIL 2020.