Isa Funtua Breaks Silence On Replacing Abba Kyari As Buhari’s Chief Of Staff

Isa Funtua has denied replacing late Abba Kyari as Buhari’s Chief of Staff.

NewsOne Nigeria had reported earlier that Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, died of COVID-19, four weeks after testing positive to the disease.

This burgeoning online news platform understands that the Presidency through a statement by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity said Kyari died on Friday, April 17 of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19 and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020.

“May God accept his soul. Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly,” Adesina had tweeted.

Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, passes on. May God rest his soul. Amen. Funeral arrangements to be announced soon.

— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) April 17, 2020

Reacting to reports of becoming Buhari’s Chief of Staff after Abba Kyari’s death in a recent interview with BBC Hausa,  Funtua, who is also an in-law to President Buhari after one of his sons married to one of Buhari’s daughter, said the position is an “insult to his personality.”

The President’s longtime ally said the position is supposed to be for young aged able men and not a successful man like him, adding that he should be employing people and not struggling for any government appointments at his age.

His words: “I heard people mentioning my name to replace Abba Kyari but I take the story as an insult instead. I have once worked with the government in the 80s, worked with white men and also was once a Minister of the Federal republic. For someone to mention my name for that position is an insult especially for a man who served as a minister nearly 40 years ago and out of government,” Isa Funtua was quoted as saying.

“I should be employing people now, not trying to struggle for government appointments. At my level and age, people should first see if I am fit to serve and see if I am strong enough and if I am up-to-date with current realities of governance.

“Even if they approach the president with my name, he knows he cannot ask me to serve at this age. For God’s sake, you mean at my age, I should be waking up at 8 am to go to work? Haba, I am way passed that lifestyle. It’s for people like you (referring to the BBC journalist) and other much younger persons. We should stop making caricatures of public offices simply because of the sake of getting appointments,” he said.