Nigeria coronavirus: 4,787 cases, Buhari names Abba Kyari's replacement

4,787 cases, Buhari names Abba Kyari’s replacement

Case statistics at close of day May 12 stood at 4,787 with 146 new cases. The number of discharged and deaths stood at 959 and 158 respectively. The new cases were spread across 19 states and FCT, the top three being 57 in Lagos, 27 in Kano and 10 in Kwara.

Meanwhile, the first virtual Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting was held today during which Buhari named a new chief of staff in the person of Ibrahim Gambari. He succeeds Mallam Abba Kyari, who passed away on April 17, 2020 after contracting coronavirus.

The new chief of staff has had a diplomatic distinguished career he was Minister of External Affairs (1984-1985) and subsequently Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (1990-1999).

• Professor Gambari also served as Joint AU/UN Special Representative in Darfur and Head of UNAMID (2010-2012).
• He is currently a Chairperson of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
• Professor Gambari attended the Provincial (now Government) Secondary School, Ilorin, before proceeding to the Floreat Collegium Kings College, Lagos.
• He received his BSc (Econs) degree from the London School of Economics (1968) and his MA and PhD in Political Science/International Relations (1970, 1974) from Columbia University, USA.
• He has taught at Universities in the Unites States, Nigeria and Singapore, and has to his credit the authorship of a number of books.
• He has received several academic and national honours, including the “Commander of Federal Republic of Nigeria” (CFR), and the “Order of the Champion of the Oliver R. Tambo” (OCORT) of South Africa.
• He is the Pioneer Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Ilorin, Nigeria, as well as the current Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Bayero University, Kano (BUK). He is married with children and grandchildren.