The Chief of Staff to Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, has died of Coronavirus, Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, announced in a terse statement early on Saturday morning.
Adesina tweeted, “Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, passes on.
“May God rest his soul. Amen. Funeral arrangements to be announced soon.”
Femi Adesina
✔@FemAdesina
Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, passes on. May God rest his soul. Amen. Funeral arrangements to be announced soon.
The president’s chief of staff had gone on self-isolation after testing positive for coronavirus in March.
He was said to have contracted COVID-19 after a tip to Germany, alongside Sale Mamman, minister of power,.
The late chief of staff had reportedly attended a meeting in Germany with officials of Siemens to discuss issues relating to the Nigerian power sector.
Kyari was subsequently said to have been moved to Lagos for better treatment. But there were speculations on social media as to his actual whereabouts.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) had on Friday confirmed four new coronavirus deaths but it is unclear if that of Kyari was among the dead.
Buhari had appointed Kyari , who hailed from Borno state, as his chief of staff in 2015 and reappointed him in 2019.
Kyari was a powerful and controversial presidential aide.
Six days after he went on self-isolation following the confirmation of his COVID-19 status, Abba Kyari, former chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, issued a statement on his health, saying he was doing well and would soon be back at his desk.
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