Since the news broke out that Mele Kyari has been appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the new Group Managing Director of the NNPC, there have been rumours flying around.
One of the rumours has it that the new NNPC boss is a blood relative to Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, with some even saying that he is even a younger brother to the Chief of Staff.
The issue has been so contentious that, THE CABLE has reported that a social media user had dubbed the NNPC as the “Kyari Family Petroleum Corporation.”
Another post which is gaining major attention from a Twitter user identified as Mr. Izrael said: “So Buhari has Appointed Abba Kyari’s brother, Mele Kyari as NNPC GMD. Mele Kolo Kyari who hails from Borno State, North-East Nigeria is to take over from Dr. Maikanti Baru. Nigeria is a comedy show.”
So Buhari has Appointed Abba Kyari’s brother, Mele Kyari as NNPC GMD
Mele Kolo Kyari who hails from Borno State, North-East Nigeria is to take over from Dr. Maikanti Baru.
.
Nigeria is a comedy show. And Buhari is the performing Artist.
The joke is on Us… ?? pic.twitter.com/Ww4Xs2nyQa— Mr_Izrael ?? (@Mr_Izrael) June 20, 2019
The question to ask now is, is that truly the case?
It may not come as a surprise to try to link both parties together after the recent appointment of Abba Kyari’s daughter, Aisha Kyari, as an Assistant Vice President at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), caused a lot of uproar.
The truth however is, contrary to the information which is going viral online, the new Group Managing Director of the NNPC is not the younger brother to the Chief of Staff to the President – In fact, they do dot have any sorts of relationship with each other, according to THE CABLE.
To set the record straight, the new NNPC GMD, Mele Kyari is from the Kanuri ethnic group, while Abba Kyari is a member of the Shuwa ethnic group.What this means is that biologically, they are miles apart.
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has as well debunked the rumour that both men were related. See his tweet below:
We must be factual in our criticism otherwise it erodes our credibility. It is NOT true to say that Mele Kyari, the new GMB of NNPC, is a relative of Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to @MBuhari. I have know Abba for 40 yrs and I assure you that Mele is not a member of his family.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 20, 2019
Funny enough, this will not be first time that Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the President will be involved in a case of mistaken identity.
This is because, there are two other popular Nigerians who also bear the same name with the Chief of Staff.
One of them is one of the most successful policemen in Nigeria, Abba Kyari, who has led the charge to clampdown on various criminals and notorious gangs including the one of the most notorious kidnappers in the country, Evans. Abba Kyari is a deputy commissioner of police and is currently heading the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police.
Many have confused his identity as they have thought that he is a relative to the Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to President Buhari. But that is not the case as the hero cop hails from Yobe State while the right hand man to the President hails from Borno State.
Still yet, there is a former military governor of the no-longer-existing North Central State, who is named Abba Kyari. He is now late as he passed away at the age of 80, in 2018.
This clarification is necessary as one needs to be able to differentiate between the hero cop, President Buhari’s right hand man and the NNPC GMD whenever the name “Kyari” pops up in the news.
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