President Muhammadu Buhari this morning at the Presidential Villa formally pronounced Professor Ibrahim Gambari as his new Chief of Staff.
Gamabari was officially presented to members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha during a video-conference session of the cabinet chaired by Buhari.
Thereafter, a one-minute silence was observed in honour of former members of the FEC at various times, who died recently.
These include former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, late Chief Richard Akinjide; the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari; former Minister of Health, Halilu Alhassan; and Minister of State for Public Health during the Second Republic, Paul Wampana.
The opening prayers for the inaugural virtual FEC meeting were said by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and the minister of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono.
Also physically present at the meeting were Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Power, Saleh Mamma; and Commerce, Niyi Adebayo; as well as the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mungonu.
The rest of the cabinet members participated in the meeting online.
Kwara State-born Gambari was Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), and Minister of External Affairs under Buhari as a military head of state between 1983 and 1985.
He is currently the founder/chairman of Savannah Center External link in Abuja, a think-tank for research, training and public policy debate on the nexus between diplomacy (conflict resolution), democracy and development in Africa.
His last assignment at the United Nations was as the joint special representative of the Secretary-General and chairperson of the African Union Commission/head of the UN and AU Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) from January 2010 to July 2012.
