Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon has hailed the appointment of top diplomat, Prof Ibrahim Gambari as Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a great asset to “Nigeria and Africa in a broader sense.”
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Garba Shehu, said Ki-moon’s message was contained in a letter of congratulations addressed to Prof Gambari.
According to the statement, in the letter dated May 18, the former UN Secretary-General wrote: ‘I would like to sincerely congratulate you on your recent appointment as Chief of Staff to H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.
”Your appointment is a great asset not to the President of Nigeria but also your country Nigeria and Africa in a broader sense.
“I am confident that your invaluable experience gained while serving the UN, with various important leadership roles, will help your leadership in addressing these challenging times caused by COVID-19.
”I shared this good news with the former Minister Yoo Chong-ha, your good friend and former Foreign Minister of Korea. He sends his warmest congratulations to you.”
The statement also said the UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, had also expressed delight with the appointment of Gambari as the Chief of Staff to the President.
The statement stated that the High Commissioner said the Mission looks forward to working closely with the Chief of Staff on ”our shared agenda in the challenging COVID-19 times.”
