By Abiola Olawale
Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, eminent Scholar-Diplomat, former Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, erstwhile United Nations Under-Secretary-General, and former Chief of Staff to the late former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has weighed in the legacy of Buhari, stressing that the former leader’s records were significant and that history will judge him favorably for his efforts.
Speaking on Arise TV, Gambari highlighted Buhari’s achievements in combating Boko Haram and other security threats, emphasizing that by the end of his tenure, no part of Nigeria was under the control of the terrorist group.
Gambari, who served as Buhari’s Chief of Staff from May 2020 to May 2023, said Buhari inherited what he described as a dire security situation when he assumed office in 2015.
The eminent diplomat and frontline scholar of international relations said at the time Buhari assumed office it was evident that Boko Haram controlled several territories in Nigeria’s northeast, and the country faced rampant insecurity, including banditry and communal violence.
However, Gambari, the first and only African to serve as United Nations Under-Secretary General(Political), said Buhari was able to turn around the security situation and made significant gains against Boko Haram, reducing the group’s territorial dominance.
He said the Buhari administration also invested heavily in infrastructure projects and social welfare programs, such as the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which empowered millions of Nigerians.
He said: “If the problem of security were easy to solve, it would have been solved. And if it could have been solved by military means alone, it would have been solved.
“I think my position is very clear that he inherited an awful situation. 17 local governments in the northeast of Nigeria were controlled by Boko Haram, with the Islamic flag hoisted in these areas.
“Now, by the time he left, no part of Nigeria was under the control of Boko Haram. Of course, they went after other targets, soft targets.
“But my position is that, in the end, we cannot solve the problem of insecurity in Nigeria by military means.
“Secondly, we cannot leave the solution to the security situation in regard to one man alone. Of course, as president, he takes primary responsibility for that principal role of government. But this has to be an all-of-government, all-of-nation approach, with everybody having a responsibility to perform.
“On the issue of corruption, again, he led by example, because you can say what you like about the late President Buhari, but nobody could say he was a thief or that he made a way with the government treasury.
“He set up a mechanisms, he believed in processes, the ICPC, EFCC, and others that were in place. I think history will be kind to him. I’m convinced about that.”
The New Diplomat reports that prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff, Gambari had served at different times in his illustrious diplomatic career as Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Nigeria’s Ambassador/ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York, Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the African Union/Chief Mediator in Darfur, and President of the United Nations Security Council.
