By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD)
the news of the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, Chairman and Founder of the Centre, as the new Chief of Staff to the President Muhammadu Buhari means that the country is in good hands.
The Centre in a statement issued yesterday by Ambassador Abdullahi A. Omaki, its Executive Director, said
“As an experienced public officer of Professor Gambari’s stature, both at home and abroad, and his vision for Nigeria and Africa, which inspired the establishment of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), we at the Centre feel that Nigeria is indeed in very good hands with him as the Chief of Staff. The imperative for National Elites Consensus is now most urgent.
“Nigerians across the Federation and in the Diaspora, must work concertedly with one another, to promote common grounds, on which the survival of our great nation depends. The surest way of attaining this is through ensuring that Nigerians, especially her elites, commence talking with each other and not at each other, with the hope of rapidly promoting National Unity. This is most imperative, as this will provide the necessary platform for strengthening Nigeria’s cohesion for development and growth where fairness and justice, are pre-requisites. It is not impossible to achieve this tasks, complex as they certainly are. The time ahead is so little and so much needs to be accomplished. And it is the expectation of Savannah Centre therefore, that with this appointment, President Buhari will be vastly assisted to make these landmark achievements during his tenure.”
Omaki said the Centre, is exceedingly proud for the honour done to the person of Professor Gambari, his Centre, the people of his home-state, Kwara, and all other Nigerians at home and abroad. “By the estimation of Savannah Centre, this is a very well-deserved appointment, not because he is one of us, our Founder and mentor, but because he is an exceptional Nigerian, who has creditably distinguished himself in Nigeria, Africa, and the world through the United Nations where he served as Under-Secretary General of the world body for about 13 years.”
Omaki, noted that the appointment received wide support across the country, saying that the centre is not unaware of the complex and difficult challenges of socio-economic and health impacts of Covid-19 that have continued to face the country.
“Without doubts, time has come for Nigeria to take an extremely deep look at herself, in order to craft both creative and innovative pathways of moving the country, not only out of the challenges of the moment, but to grab the opportunities inherent in these challenges for a greatly improved future for Nigeria.”