Says he has good international clout.
A professor of law and former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Akin Oyebode, has applauded last week’s appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari as the Chief of Staff by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Oyebode, emeritus professor and erstwhile Head of University of Lagos Law Faculty, noted that the President has picked an accomplished scholar, a man of good international clout and vast experience that will help the country and the administration.
“Gambari, I must say, is over qualified for the job; his biodata/CV is too intimidating. He has a good international clout.
“I knew him more than 40 years ago, a great scholar-diplomat, who attended great institutions including Kings College, Lagos, Howard University in U.S. and the University of Ibadan etc.
“He is not an unknown quantity; he has discharged his past official responsibilities as NIIA DG, External Affairs Minister and we had worked together on several occasions on some national assignments,’’ Oyebode said on TVC programme, “Journalists’ Hangout’’ online and monitored by Persecondnews.
He said he had no doubt that the new chief of Staff would excel in the discharge of his duties.
While wishing him a successful tenure, Oyebode, however, said the misgiving among Nigerians was if he (Gambari) would be apace with the president who they thought “has not been able to discharge his duties with panache.’’
Persecondnews recalls that Gambari, who has since assumed duties, was Under-Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (2005-2007) and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1990-1999), Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1984-1985).
He had also worked closely with regional leaders, institutions and governments, particularly within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the economic and political development of the sub-region.
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