Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has given insight into the emergence of the late Abba Kyari as President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff in 2015.
The recount was contained in an article FFK, as he’s fondly called, wrote on Monday titled “How are the mighty fallen.”
The expository essay listed the names of Buhari’s alleged “cabal” members, whom he described as “seasoned and skillful old war horses, ancient northern political veterans and warriors”.
Fani-Kayode, who served as Senior Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to President Olusegun Obasanjo, revealed what Kyari told him about why he accepted to be Buhari’s most senior aide.
The outspoken social critic recalled how the deceased stressed on the importance of loyalty to true friends.
Fani-Kayode said he found it difficult to accept that a man as “sophisticated, cosmopolitan, enlightened and intelligent as Abba could work for a Government and be Chief of Staff in a Presidency that was the most sectional and religiously biased in the history of Nigeria. We had many heated discussions and lively debates on this and other issues.”
“His defense was that he believed in Buhari and that he chose to be loyal to him and I respected that. He often reminded me of the days in which I was at the Presidential Villa when I stood by President Olusegun Obasanjo no matter what.
“He said that even though he was with Buhari throughout that time and was opposed to Obasanjo, we still remained friends. He said we ought to remain friends now that the tables had turned and he and his principal were in power.
“This was sound logic and it made sense. Only a fool does not appreciate the fact that true friendship transcends politics and that you take your friends warts and all even when, in your view, they may have made the wrong political choices.”
The ex-minister added that Abba Kyari felt that he (Fani-Kayode) “made the wrong choice and chose the wrong path (opposition to the Buhari administration) just as I felt that he did too.”
“But we never for one moment felt that our friendship should or would end because of that. After all we were not just friends but we were brothers,” Fani-Kayode asserted.
