Abba Kyari: Service and posterity

I met Malam Abba Kyari for the first time when I was very young. As the Executive Secretary of Nigeria-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NACCI), I had an appointment to meet with him in his office at UBA Building at Broad Street, Lagos Island, to discuss about the scheduled trade mission of NACCI to North Africa and part of the Middle East. Abba Kyari was the Managing Director of the bank at that time. My first shock was that he had never met me before and did not border to ask me how I got his phone number but obliged my request for an appointment to meet with him. The first lesson I learnt from him was his accessibility to both the young and old, rich and poor persons when you get to the top.  In spite of his position, Malam Kyari was accessible to people of different walks of life.

When he knew I was at the receptionist desk, he ordered that I be allowed into his office. Immediately I opened his office door, Malam Kyari stood up to welcome me. He shook my hand and offered me a seat. He sat after I had already taken my seat. The second lesson I learnt from him was humility and warm reception. Malam never considered my age and status. He accorded me due respect and treated me with the highest decorum. I was humbled by his kind gesture. Looking at a tall man with a stern-looking face from afar, it is very simple to wrongly conclude that the character behind such a face would be very mean, to say the least. But the opposite was the case with the character of Malam Kyari. Outwardly, people wrongly held an opinion about his character by merely judging the book by its cover. He was a refined personality with a strong character. He was gentle, soft and friendly.

After explaining my mission, Malam Kyari immediately accepted to be part of the high-powered 27-man delegation of the trade mission which was led by the duo of Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab, chairman of Jaiz Bank Plc, who was the president of NACCI and the late Dr Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), who was the Chairman of the Nigeria-Arab Association (NAASS). The third lesson I learnt from Malam Kyari was his good listening skills, one of the fundamental principles of a leader endowed with emotional intelligence. Throughout my conversation with him, he refused to pick calls. He concentrated his attention on me. When I was done, he asked if I was through and I replied yes. Then, he picked his phone and put a call through to the missed calls. By the way, of the 27-man delegation, Malam Kyari is the new person that has joined the list of those who have passed away. Some of these personalities include Dr Abdul-Lateef Adegbite, Dr Hamza Zayyad, former Chairman, Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercilisation in Nigeria; Dr Hassan Lawal, former Minister of Works; Alhaji Idris Sulaimon, former Chief Executive, Universal Trust Bank and former ICAN President; Alhaji Suleiman Hameen, former Vice President, Nigeria Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Alhaji Waidi Kareem. May Allah forgive their sins, rain His mercy on their souls and make Jannatul Firdaws their abode.

Throughout our two weeks on the trade mission, Malam Kyari also exhibited a low-profile lifestyle. I observed with keen interest that Malam would always stay behind. He never put himself forward but preferred to be the last man behind. Even when some of his colleagues beckoned on him to take the front seat, Malam would rather take the last seat or last row. The fourth lesson I learnt from Malam Kyari was his selflessness and service to others. He never behaved insolently because of his physical or social status. However, Malam was a disciplinarian. He had zero-tolerance for laziness, “shortcut to wealth acquisition” and eye service.

I also recall when we were in Amman, the capital of Jordan, Malam called the attention of the former Minister of Works, the late Dr Hassan Lawal to the beautiful landscape of the city. He dispassionately uttered the statement that he looked forward to when Nigeria would be better than Jordan. As a young man, the fifth lesson I learnt from Malam Kyari was his strong love and conviction in the Nigeria project. Malam Kyari believed so much in the development of our country and looked forward to making the Nigeria project work.

One striking feature which I had known with Malam Kyari since over 20 years ago till he breathed his last on mother earth was his simple lifestyle and consistency in his mode of dressing – white babanriga with a wine colour Fulani-Kanuri cap. The sixth lesson I learnt from Malam Kyari was simplicity in life, mode of dressing and consistency of principles he believed in. Indeed, Malam Kyari had contributed his quota through his office as the Chief of Staff to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Posterity will confirm his contributions and time will judge him accordingly. Au revoir, Malam Abba Kyari.

• Dr Shuaib is the Chief Executive Officer of Jaiz Charity and Development Foundation, Abuja.

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