By our reporter
Social activist, Omoyele Sowore on Tuesday condemned the new appointment of Professor Agboola Gambari over Gambari’s role during General Sani Abacha’s military regime.
President Buhari reportedly appointed Gambari, a former Minister of External Affairs, as his new Chief of Staff, following the death of Mallam Abba Kyari, who lost his life to the dreaded Coronavirus.
In a statement, the former presidential candidate added that Gambari also served almost all the dictators that have ruled the country. He said: “Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who some people claim is an intelligent man, used his ‘intelligence’ to defend the draconian policies of the Abacha regime while he was Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations.
Sowore added that Gambari “was one of Abacha’s equivalents of the “Goebel” representing the infamous dictator with vigor and a propensity that could only be found in fascist Italy of old.
“As more pressure mounted on the Abacha regime from all corners of the world, Professor Gambari became more notorious and ruthless in defending and deflecting attacks against the Abacha dictatorship.
“I remember his many appearances on cable news channels, especially after Abacha murdered environmentalist and author, Ken Saro-Wiwa following what can be described as a kangaroo trial. Professor Gambari stoically denied that the Abacha regime had committed a crime; he labeled Saro-Wiwa a “common criminal” who had engaged in the murder of some Ogoni elders.
“After the demise of Abacha, his other co-dictators and collaborators were put in their place: Call it the Nigerian Hall of Shame.
“Professor Ibrahim Gambari has not been touched; he has not been called to account. Unlike the Usenis, Mustapha, and Gwarzo, he did not appear before the hapless “Oputa Panel” to explain his ignominious role. Instead, he was elevated by Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General, to the position of Under-Secretary and Special Adviser on Africa at the UN.”
