Abba Kyari – Nigerian President’s chief of staff dies from COVID-19

Bloomberg | Abba Kyari, chief of staff to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and an ardent supporter of state intervention in the economy, has died. His age wasn’t disclosed.

“The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said Friday on Twitter. Kyari had been hospitalized in the commercial capital, Lagos, after testing positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) upon his return from a trip to Germany on March 15.

Buhari, 77, tested negative for COVID-19 last month after Kyari’s symptons emerged. The number of infections in Nigeria have doubled to 493, with April 17 recording the highest number of confirmed cases in a day following an increase in testing. Africa’s most populous country has so far recorded 17 deaths from the illness.

Kyari, who was appointed to the position in 2015, was widely regarded as Buhari’s most trusted adviser and had been considered by some as Nigeria’s most powerful government figure, his infection had been one of the highest-profile in Africa.

Born in the northeastern state of Borno, Kyari obtained degrees in sociology and law and attended the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland. He became chief executive officer of the United Bank for Africa Plc and served on the boards of both Unilever Nigeria Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Nigerian unit. He never disclosed his age or date of birth.

Kyari’s death could usher in policy changes in the West African nation, which faces its worst recession in a generation from the collapse of crude prices. A replacement will be tough to find and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, an advocate of less state intervention in economic matters, will probably get more room for maneuver, according to Cheta Nwanze, lead partner with Lagos-based risk consultancy SBM Intelligence.

“His death leaves a huge vacuum in the administration,” said Saeed Husaini, an independent political analyst. “We are now likely to see a tussle for power and access to the president among senior government officials and ruling party leaders, which will likely constitute a distraction from policy making.”