PMB, Chief Of Staff, And The Time To Take The Bull By The Horns

By Bala Ibrahim

Since the demise of Mallam Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, and the chorus of accolades that keep coming, the need to get a replacement, and a befitting replacement, seems to be the topmost burning issue before the nation.

The world in general only came to know the real Mallam Abba Kyari, after the death of Mallam Abba Kyari. His importance became important to all that want Nigeria to remain important. PMB summed it all in his tribute, when he called him, “The very best of us”.

Having worked with the very best, and looking at the country’s quagmire, Nigerians should not wish the President anything short of the second-best, as the successor of the late Kyari.

Many names have been circulating in the social media, some reasonable, some unreasonable, some even ridiculous, as those angling to succeed Mallam Abba. And I think this is the time for PMB to take the bull by the horns, and do what is in his best interest, and the best interest of the country.

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In his first coming as Nigeria’s Head of State, Buhari’s famous quote was, “This generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together.”

Nearly 40 years after, and at no time is Nigeria in need of salvage than now. To do that, the president needs a strong, dedicated, trusted, tested, loyal and a man with unswerving allegiance, as Chief of Staff.

The chief of staff provides a buffer between the President and the team that reports to the President. He works behind the scenes to solve the president’s, and by extension the country’s problems. He mediates disputes, and deal decisively with issues before they are brought to the president. Almost always, the chiefs of staff acts as a confidante and advisor to the President.

For Buhari, and for Nigeria today, we need a man that is a reliable reservoir of ideas and solutions. A man with maturity and dexterity. A man that commands respect in the security setting inside and outside Nigeria. And I see these qualities in Mallam Lawal Daura, the past DG,DSS.

Those who know and worked with Lawal Daura, would tell you he is solutions, in search of problems. He has the knowledge, the wherewithal, and the courage to confront problems with unalloyed loyalty to the president, and the desired dedication and patriotism to the nation. In addition, he has the records of those for, and those against the ambition of the President to salvage Nigeria.

Some may argue that bringing back Daura would create a rift in the presidency because the VP would feel slighted. Okay, agreed, as a Human being, he would take offense because the president has reversed or undone what he had done. But we should use the same sentiment to assess the feelings of the president, when his vice, or the person acting on his behalf, reversed his action while he was away. Not just away on honeymoon, but on a hospital bed receiving treatment.

If the president did not take it with a pinch of salt, I see no reason why the Vice President should take it with a grain of salt. The popular saying is, respect begets respect. This means, if you give respect, you should take respect.

The Vice President is a lawyer that has distinguished himself in the legal profession to the high or highest position of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN. A university academic of the highest rank, that has excelled to the enviable position of a Professor. And in politics, he has gotten to the exalted position of Vice President.

Anyone so blessed by God, should feel guilty of dishonesty or betrayal to the Almighty God that so elevated him, if he condescends to the level of a witch hunt, or engage in accusations, just because a situation has arisen, where his action is officially reversed, in the overall interest of the system and the nation.

If Daura’s sins were published, beyond the rumor of sending armed security operatives to invade the National Assembly, the public would be better informed, and I would not ridicule myself by advocating for his return. But to the best of my knowledge, (although I am not in the position to know official secrets), nothing incriminating has been found against him.

Why then should someone deprive the system of utilizing, or tapping the talent of a person that is rated amongst the best in security intelligence? And at a time the nation is in dire need of his service.

When he was the Director SSS in Kano and I was a reporter with the BBC, Daura had once ordered my arrest and detention, along with one Alhaji Ado Gwarjo, over an interview I had with the Gwarjo, the interview of which was viewed as, capable of inciting the public towards unlawful behavior.

Gwarjo and I felt extremely bitter because here is a person we know beyond the official level, but has put us behind bars in the cause of duty. In the end, after our release and the explanations given, we were convinced he acted well, in an official capacity, and in the best interest of our country.

As the Attorney General of Lagos State, the VP was the one that prosecuted Major Hamza AL Mustapha and pressed for his conviction. Many of us felt unhappy with his position. But the same AL Mustapha later came to convince us to forgive him, because he only acted in official, and not personal capacity.

In 2013, in my native Kano, some children were used by Pfizer for the Trovan antibiotic experiment, which resulted in deaths and deformation of many. It was later understood that Pfizer did not have proper consent from parents to use the drug on their children, and questions were raised over the documentation of the trial. Vice President Osinbajo’s law firm handled the matter on behalf of the parents, which ended in an out of court settlement, that generated more controversy than the experiment.

As the lawyer to the children, Osinbajo was accused of not doing enough to rectify the plight of the children, by way of proper protest on behalf of the parents and children, who lost their lives and those who became permanently paralyzed. Many, including my humble self, accused him of only pocketing the dollars, and leaving the children in deformity. It took those very knowledgeable in law, to enlighten us to forgive him, saying he acted well, and in an official and legal capacity. Since then, we see him as a hero.

There are examples abound, of official decisions taken by the VP, which were misconstrued, but later forgiven, after explanations.

The President should, therefore, gauge the mood of the country, alongside the challenges ahead, particularly his contract with the electorates, and pick the man that would do the job, without regards to whose ox is gored in the process. If someone must win, then someone else must lose.

So please PMB, take the bull by the horns, take Daura as a replacement for Kyari.

You are the bull.

Bala Ibrahim, a Media Advisor writes from Kano