Abba Kyari, the trusted chief of staff to Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari dies from complications related to Covid-19 nearly a month-long battle with the virus.
Kyari had widely been seen as one of the three most powerful people in Africa’s largest economy and said to have the complete trust of Buhari. Some had even described him as the defacto head of the government because in a country where the presidency holds an inordinate amount of centralized power and government funds, deciding who has access to the president accords immense power and influence.
Kyari was one of several high profile political figures in Nigeria to have contracted the virus. The state governors of Bauchi (Bala Mohammed) and Oyo (Seyi Makinde) both contracted the virus in March and have recovered. The Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai is still in care.
He was initially receiving treatment in Abuja before he was transferred to a private hospital in Lagos on March 29.
Kyari recently said his health was improving and urged Nigerians to remain calm about his situation and keep a hygienic lifestyle to avoid contracting the virus.
But on Friday night, the Presidency confirmed he had departed from complications inflicted by the virus. Kyari consequently became the most senior Nigerian government official and politician to die from the virus, which was first reported in the country on February 27.
