President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday told incoming ministers that all requests for meetings with him should pass through his chief of staff, Abba Kyari.

Mr Buhari said this in his closing remark at a presidential retreat for minister’s designate in Abuja.

“In terms of coordination, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channelled through the Chief of Staff, while all Federal Executive Council matters be coordinated through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Mr Buhari said,


The president’s speech at the event was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the presidency.

Mr Kyari has been criticised by some Nigerians including members of the ruling party, APC, for his influence over the president.

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, is one of those who have complained about the powers Mr Kyari wields in the presidency.

After Mr Buhari’s re-election in February, some APC members protested against the re-appointment of Mr Kyari, a longtime ally of the president.

The president, however, reappointed him to the position.

Read Mr Buhari’s full speech to the ministers-designate below.

Protocols

After two days, we have come to the end of a successful retreat. However, you will agree that our work is just beginning.

2. These last two days have been very instructive for me personally, because I have had the opportunity to know many of you new Ministers-Designate better. I was also pleased to see that you have all equally enjoyed debating and deliberating on the various challenges before us over the next 4 years.

3. Ladies & Gentlemen, majority of our people are poor and are anxiously hoping for a better life. A Nigeria in which they do not have to worry about what they will eat, where they will live or if they can afford to pay for their children’s education or healthcare.

4. Our responsibility as leaders of this great country is to meet these basic needs for our people. As I mentioned yesterday, this Administration inherited many challenges from our predecessors to mention a few:

· A country in which 18 local governments in the Northeast were under the control of Boko Haram;

· Decayed infrastructure in which our rail lines and roads had severely deteriorated;

· A rent seeking economy that depended largely on oil revenues and imports;

· Significant unpaid pensions, subsidy debts, legacy contractor debts. I can go on and on.

5. In our first term, we laid the foundation to rebuild our country. We recaptured those 18 Local Governments previously held by Boko Haram, whose activities are now limited to sporadic attacks against soft targets. Our investments in road and rail infrastructure are without precedent, and many of you can attest to this. We also focused on diversifying the economy from oil towards agriculture and industrialization. Despite reduced revenues from oil and gas compared to past governments, we have broadly addressed many of the legacy debts they left behind.

6. Whilst we have obvious successes to celebrate, the challenges ahead are significant as you would have observed in detail over these two days. Nevertheless, from the quality of the deliberations, it is clear that solutions to our problems are well researched and have been well articulated.

7. We have discussed solutions relating to addressing Insecurity; Macroeconomic Stability; Agriculture and Food Security; Energy Security for Petroleum products and Electricity; Transportation and Critical Infrastructure; Industrialization and SME Development; Human Capital Development; Social Inclusion; Anti-Corruption; Housing Financing and Consumer Credit.

8. Public service is not easy work, and at times it can be thankless. I am therefore charging you all to see this opportunity to serve as an honour, to give your best to deliver on this mandate, for a more prosperous Nigeria, not for some, but for all Nigerians.

9. You will find that working collaboratively and purposefully will enable us to achieve quicker results, recognizing that four years is not a very long time. For the new Ministers, make sure you engage and benefit from the experience of the older Ministers and former Governors in the cabinet.

10. In terms of coordination, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channeled through the Chief of Staff, while all Federal Executive Council matters be coordinated through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

11. I would like to thank the Office of the SGF for coordinating this successful Presidential Retreat. I would also like to thank the National Assembly leadership, the Party Chairman, Chairman of the Governors Forum, and resource firms, for the active engagements and contributions.

12. Once again, the challenges that lie ahead of us as a country are significant. But I have no doubt in your individual capacities and our collective patriotic commitment to deliver a better Nigeria for us, our children and a brighter future for all.

Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This is an awareness thread!

Inputs from Onitsha bridge head touts will not be acknowledged. Don't even try!


I have two areas to raise awareness on as follows:

1 - Buhari does not believe he will live through his next term. In case of the death of a President in office, statutorily the VP becomes President. If Buhari dies in office, Osinbajo will take oath of office as President. Following which the power rotates South and a repeat of Yaradua/Jonathan succession. Where does that leave North? The question has been answered by the new directive and order given to the incoming Ministers. In other words, Abba Kyari, a non-elected government officer will be the channel, the medium....the go-to-person for any Ministry that wants to communicate with the President. In the absence of Buhari, Abba Kyari becomes the custodian of government and its policies. What this means is that Abba Kyari has full capacity to hijack the government and hold it hostage if anyone were to succeed Buhari. This is so because all of the policies and business relations in each Ministry, practically the Government, will not get to Buhari unless he has first reviewed and approved it. Simple! In Buhari's absence Kyari can withold and lock up all Government briefings, period! Abba Kyari is pro-ruga.

Northerners have taken an insurance against a non-consented succession and Abba Kyari is their premium. Abba Kyari becomes godfather in Aso. If you do not bow to him your request to the President might be pushed aside and or outrightly denied in your face!


2 - We need a civic class and a democracy tutoring for all Nigerians from top to bottom!

In any system of government, the Head of Government keeps a Staff. Staff is a broad headline for numerous job positions created to assist smooth running of the in-house....or internal machineries that run tasks of giving the administration a good and healthy image in the public. Underneath the banner you have "Political Staff". Chief of Staff is the head of political jobbers for the administration. In other words, Chief of Staff and all the people working underneath him or her are there for POLITICS.....not POLICIES! There is difference between the two terms.

Policies are the stratagems developed to make government keep to its social contracts with citizens and maintain a good relations with the world. They often begin from ideas and ingenuity and thoughts into values and metrics and then into action items and tasks, followed by implementation and deployment, and lastly by approval and audits.

Example -
Idea: how to improve living conditions for the citizens of community XYZ through sustainable power supply.

Values & metrics: how are they getting power now? There are 100 housing units in the community and every unit has a generator set. So that's 100 generators in the community. If all are working at a particular instance the pollution, wastage and inefficiency is enormous. Therefore Government will set a goal "reducing environmental pollution in Community XYZ by 50% over a 12month period".

Action Items & Tasks: communicate to the households the dangers and hazards of 100 generator sets running simultaneously; let them know that a solution exists which will replace the individual ownership, meet their power consumption need, reduce polution significantly and has a backup for load balancing, offer and get their buy-in for cooperative power generator. Give government commitment with a buy-back program.

Without turning this into a policy discussion...I am sure you all see what a policy can look like and the steap action to progress it into reality and better life for citizens. Ok. So now what is the job of political staffers?

In democracies typically two powers run the govt....a ruling and its opposition power. The two form a balance and curtail excesses by the ruling party. In a truly democratic society where these two counter-forces exist, there is so much heat and pressure, and thrown from different angles from its opposition that the ruling party in power must constantly stay preoccupied dousing the heat and cushioning the pressure. Those hired to diffuse opposition's attacks on the ruling power and promote the President in good public light are Political Staffers, and the Chief of Staff is their boss...or their coordinator. So in essence, a Chief of Staff is a bridge between the ruling party and its President. He is there to make sure opposition does not discredit the President or the party and also run a propaganda office to shine the President's image.

Abba Kyari as Chief of Staff is therefore a political anchor. He should never ever be involved in policy matters within the Presidency.

The head of policy makers (Ministers) is the President who approves goals & implementation and signs to release money for the cost. He is deputized by the VP. If he must designate this power it should be to his deputy, and not to Kyari, the party liaison.

Ministers are responsible to the Nation, not to APC. Abba Kyari, as Chief of Staff represents APC party interests in the Presidency. Because we are illiterate about separation of powers and the roles that these various positions are designed for....we have ended with muddled up roles and power....and now a Chief of Staff, who heads the President's image makers....is being made to review and approve government policies before it even gets to President.

....and to even believe that amongst the Ministers directed to go through Kyari are SANs like Fashola, a respected technocrat and voted as an eligible candidate for President of this country....it is mind boggling that he has not spoken against the directive or resign and walk away in protest of the abuse of office and power.


Im waiting to see who gets what Ministry. I will share with you whether or not power is coming to South. The list will be my tea-leaves.

I won't be surprised one bit if this guy ends up becoming our incoming VP come 2023. I would have said president but he doesn't look like a crowd winner. Abba Kyari, a master at his game.

b3llo:
I won't be surprised one bit if this guy ends up becoming our incoming VP come 2023. I would have said president but he doesn't look like a crowd winner. Abba Kyari, a master at his game.

no comment...waiting on ministerial portfolios.

MetaPhysical:



no comment...waiting on ministerial portfolios.

lol... In a few hours time. The wait will be over.

Good write up @op. It's very educative and an eye opener.

hotswagg12:
Good write up @op. It's very educative and an eye opener.

Thanks

Kyari will definitely fade away after Buhari's regime.. He is just fortunate to be Buhari right hand man. The trust and confident Buhari have in him did not start yesterday but the question is , Is Kyari capable of the position?

PDP pigs who are children of hate, anger and bitterness expect communications to be channelled through the wife of the President as in the case of imPatience Jonathan who used that opportunity and several loop holes to become richer than all the states in the country.

If the Chief of Staff and the SSG do not coordinate government activities, who should? President's side chicks? Go and read about the duties and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and SSG in a State or Federal Government and stop letting the world know your low intelligence.

lilytender:
PDP pigs who are children of hate, anger and bitterness expect communications to be channelled through the wife of the President as in the case of imPatience Jonathan who used that opportunity and several loop holes to become richer than all the states in the country.

If the Chief of Staff and the SSG do not coordinate government activities, who should? President's side chicks? Go and read about the duties and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and SSG in a State or Federal Government and stop letting the world know your low intelligence.

Your mindset paints an image I alluded to above, "illiterate". The States follow what they see done at national level in a monkey-see-monkey-do style.

No one says the CoS should not coordinate President's schedule....you missed the fine writings between the notes. Do you not recall that two years ago in his second medical trip the letter signed by the President for Senate recognition of VP as Head of Government was modified and would almost have striped the VP of his statutory role? This was done at a time Buhari had not designated Kyari as a buffer. What do you imagine could happen now if Buhari travels for medical trip or dies in office?

Answer this simple question first before I present even more complex intrigues.....buried and hidden from the perception of "illiterates" like you.


Are you even aware that the Chief of Staff is not vetted by Senate? He can assist President but the line must be drawn where Ministers vetted by Senate must go and get their request and appointments approved first by Chief of Staff. It's an insult on the Legislative body, and like you, I'm not sure they know or care. Government is process....Buhari tainted the process with this indiscretion.

The Northern political class could never have been such a dominant monolith in government without being strategically proactive.

Take notes instead.

Appointment of ministers or not will not stop them from looting. These politicians have sworn an oath to loot this country to peanuts and leave the country unwanted by all. I am not a fan of any Nigerian politician or party cos what I have seen in other countries of the world carried out by thier own politicians, increases my hate for Nigerian corrupt, self centered, criminal politicians the more.

I wish the stoning and beating will be carried out on them in every region but No as usual some foolish Hungry Nigerians will always play the tribal, religious and Ethnic card. What a shame of a nation.

hotswagg12:
Good write up @op. It's very educative and an eye opener.

All these jobless youths, what's educative about the trash you read up there?

QuotaSystem:
The Northern political class could never have been such a dominant monolith in government without being strategically proactive.

Take notes instead.

See them..na dem.

lilytender:
PDP pigs who are children of hate, anger and bitterness expect communications to be channelled through the wife of the President as in the case of imPatience Jonathan who used that opportunity and several loop holes to become richer than all the states in the country.

If the Chief of Staff and the SSG do not coordinate government activities, who should? President's side chicks? Go and read about the duties and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and SSG in a State or Federal Government and stop letting the world know your low intelligence.

Suffering and smiling... What a lengthy load of rubbish you got here

MetaPhysical:


Your mindset paints an image I alluded to above, "illiterate". The States follow what they see done at national level in a monkey-see-monkey-do style.

No one says the CoS should not coordinate President's schedule....you missed the fine writings between the notes. Do you not recall that two years ago in his second medical trip the letter signed by the President for Senate recognition of VP as Head of Government was modified and would almost have striped the VP of his statutory role? This was done at a time Buhari had not designated Kyari as a buffer. What do you imagine could happen now if Buhari travels for medical trip or dies in office?

Answer this simple question first before I present even more complex intrigues.....buried and hidden from the perception of "illiterates" like you.


Are you even aware that the Chief of Staff is not vetted by Senate? He can assist President but the line must be drawn where Ministers vetted by Senate must go and get their request and appointments approved first by Chief of Staff. It's an insult on the Legislative body, and like you, I'm not sure they know or care. Government is process....Buhari tainted the process with this indiscretion.

That poster, another zombie, says to tell you you have low intelligence hahaha.

helinues:
Kyari will definitely fade away after Buhari's regime.. He is just fortunate to be Buhari right hand man. The trust and confident Buhari have in him did not start yesterday but the question is , Is Kyari capable of the position?

Lol.. APC is completely dissolving in 2023 not just buhari and his staff.

MetaPhysical:


Your mindset paints an image I alluded to above, "illiterate". The States follow what they see done at national level in a monkey-see-monkey-do style.

No one says the CoS should not coordinate President's schedule....you missed the fine writings between the notes. Do you not recall that two years ago in his second medical trip the letter signed by the President for Senate recognition of VP as Head of Government was modified and would almost have striped the VP of his statutory role? This was done at a time Buhari had not designated Kyari as a buffer. What do you imagine could happen now if Buhari travels for medical trip or dies in office?

Answer this simple question first before I present even more complex intrigues.....buried and hidden from the perception of "illiterates" like you.


Are you even aware that the Chief of Staff is not vetted by Senate? He can assist President but the line must be drawn where Ministers vetted by Senate must go and get their request and appointments approved first by Chief of Staff. It's an insult on the Legislative body, and like you, I'm not sure they know or care. Government is process....Buhari tainted the process with this indiscretion.

That's their plan all these while that buhari should die in office so that Osibanjo will take over....lol


Same reason Tinubu contact Zakaria of CNN to pop out an unknown quiz sometime ago..


If awolowo didn't change before he died, his line won't change either.


The write up is not about Abba kyari but about Osibanjo and death sentence for buhari...

Ctorch:



That's their plan all these while that buhari should die in office so that Osibanjo will take over....lol


Same reason Tinubu contact Zakaria of CNN to pop out an unknown quiz sometime ago..


If awolowo didn't change before he died, his line won't change either.


The write up is not about Abba kyari but about Osibanjo and death sentence for buhari...

If Buhari himself is proactive about his own death....why are you pained that it is a subject for discussion?