The sad news of the passage of President Muhammadu Buhari’s most powerful kitchen cabinet member, Abba Kyari, who was diagnosed of Coronavirus, is the shock that greeted Nigerians on Saturday morning (Today).
Extending the announcements of Kyari’s death to Nigerians at exactly 12:44am via his official Twitter account, Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, solemnly posed few paragraphs, but the message’s weight was windy enough that it kept most Nigerians awake and the conversations instantly became the top trending topic on several social media platforms in the country.
The buzz that trailed Kyari’s death isn’t surprising, because he wielded power, influenced national decisions and was at the centre of key political plots and dramas in the present Buhari-led administration.
Kyari, who was in his 70s had underlying health problems including diabetes, he reportedly gave up the ghost on Friday.
Until his death he was the chief of staff to President Buhari.
The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging Covid-19, and had been receiving treatment, but died at a sophisticated intensive care unit in Lagos.
Although Mr Kyari and the presidency concealed the hospital where he received treatment, a top health official in Lagos disclosed to TheNewsGuru (TNG) on condition of anonymity that he was treated at First Cardiology Consultant (FCC), a private health facility in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Very powerful, Kyari was the major access point to Buhari while he was still alive. He traveled to Germany in early March with a delegation of other Nigerian officials for meetings with Siemens Ag. He attended meetings with senior government officials (Federal Executive Meetings) upon his return to Nigeria.
It was on March 24, that the news filtered in that Kyari had contracted the highly infectious disease(COVID-19).
Six days after he went on self-isolation following the confirmation of his COVID-19 status, Abba Kyari issued a statement on his health.
Because of his political stature, there were lots of speculations that trailed his health condition, While some insinuated that the president’s ally had been flown abroad in an emergency others believed he was dead at the said time.
However, the rumours were put to bed after Kyari released a statement he personally signed, therein the deceased noted that he was looking forward to resuming at his desk.
He had said he was feeling well but would move to Lagos where he had made his own arrangement.
Kyari is today the highest profile death recorded from the deadly Coronavirus in Nigeria, where there are 493 confirmed cases and 17 deaths according to the last report of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).