SERIOUSLY? Buhari’s Powerful Aides Bar Ministers, Family From Seeing Him

Could it be that bad? Family members, friends
and senior government officials who attempted
to call or visits President Muhammadu Buhari in
London are having a difficult time getting
access.
Thus fueling serious speculations, what is going
on?
According to Punch exclusive findings, four aides
of the president control access to Buhari, who is
on extended medical vacation in the United
Kingdom.
The aides are the President’s nephew, Mamman
Daura; the Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Domestic Affairs, Sarki Aba;
Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; and Personal
Assistant to the President; Tunde Sabiu.
Anyone who wants to telephone or see the
president in London must get the approval of
one or more of the four aides. The only two
individuals who are exempted from seeking
permission to visit Buhari or call him are Acting
President Yemi Osinbajo and First Lady, Aisha
Buhari.
It was gathered that the First Lady is not happy
with the way the aides have been managing
access to her husband. The first lady’s
relationship with the president’s aides has not
always been cordial.
According to a source in government, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, Buhari’s wife had
voiced her displeasure to close friends and
associates that the cabal she complained about
were still the ones in charge of her husband in
London.
“The First Lady is not with him permanently in
London, which should normally not be the case.
She has had a few clashes with the cabal and
she is not happy that they are also firmly in
control in London. That’s why she goes and
comes. She is not happy with the atmosphere
over there .”
It was further learnt that the "powerful"
individuals have turned down requests from the
President’s friends, associates and members of
his cabinet to see him.
Since Buhari extended his medical vacation on
February 19, those who have visited him in his
Abuja House residence in London include the
Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Senate Leader,
Ahmad Lawan; Speaker, House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy
Speaker, Yusuf Lasun; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu; Chief Bisi Akande; Ogun State Governor
and Ibikunle Amosun.
It was gathered that the visits were initiated by
the guests who made requests which had to be
reviewed by the president’s aides. Daura was
present during the Tinubu and Akande’s visit.
Daura, who holds no political office in the
present dispensation, has repeatedly been touted
as the most powerful person in the present
government, prompting Buhari to publicly declare
late October 2016 that, “I’m in charge, not
Mamman Daura.”
Daura travels with the president and is often
seen with him. Daura is believed to belong to
the legendary ‘Kaduna Mafia’, an influential
group of young northern Nigerian intellectuals,
civil servants, business tycoons and military
officers residing or conducting business in the
former northern capital city of Kaduna. The
group reportedly influenced government policies
during the military era and previous civilian
administrations.
Other famous members of the group were
Adamu Ciroma, Ibrahim Tahir, Mahmud Tukur,
and former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor,
Adamu Ciroma; former Minister of Internal
Affairs, Ibrahim Tahir; former Minister of
Commerce and Industry during the Buhari-
Idiagbon regime, Dr. Mahmud Tukur; former
Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki; former Head
of the Technical Committee on Privatisation and
Commercialisation, Hamza Zayyad; a former
minister, Umaru Mutallab; former presidential
aspirant and number-two man, General Shehu
Yar’Adua; a former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu
Bello University, Professor Ango Abdullahi;
Professor Jibril Aminu and others.
Kyari is known to be one of the President’s
closest aides. He plans Buhari’s schedules while
ministers are said to queue in his office to see
the President. Kyari’s influence became clear to
many during a retreat organised by the
presidency for the then ministers-designate.
While declaring the retreat open on November 5,
2015, Buhari said, “In addition, all
communications and appointments from you
(ministers) to the Presidency should be routed
through the Office of the Chief of Staff as it is
the normal (procedure) in this presidential
system.”
While much is not known about Sabiu, who was
appointed shortly after Buhari’s election, he is
reportedly related to Daura. Sources in
government told Punch that the President ‘feels
relaxed’ around him and has a lot of trust in
him. The same was said of Aba, who was
described as ‘quiet but one of the few people
that can make anyone see the President.”
Presented with the names of the aides
controlling access to the president, a source in
the presidency confirmed the list. The source,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorised to speak on the subject,
said, “The names you have are accurate and
they are the ones controlling access to the
President in London, even in Nigeria. Some
ministers, aides and service chiefs tried to talk
to the President on the phone, but they turned
them down.
“The few people that have seen the President
only saw him because they agreed to it. If they
didn’t, it would never have happened, apart from
Governor Amosun, who everyone knows is one of
Buhari’s best friends.”