I find it interesting that the
editor of this book - a powerful journalist and intellectual- divides the
Tributes in this work into 3 sections, Good, Bad, and Ugly. Many - if not most
- of the contributions included in "The Bad" are actually quite
positive (Good). Then of course the "bile" is published under the
"Ugly" section, many of them still somewhat making sense.
With the contribution of Remi Oyeyemi here (under Ugly of
course), one definitely comes across very unpleasant, uncharitable sentiments.
There is nothing to show that he knew Kyari personally, but he calls him all
sorts of terrible, crude, vicious names that would make decent people shudder.
It is definitely from the gutter, and not what one would expect from a human
being, never mind a decent one. It is shocking. Yet Oyeyemi's piece does not
necessarily reflect badly on Kyare, but on Oyeyemi himself. We have seen the
tributes of those who personally knew Kyari, and though of course nobody is
perfect, this book shows that he was far from being a demon.
-
P. Lothane
Titbit from Kyari’s Daughter (Aisha):
"My dad had almost everything that most people yearned
for. Personal success, financial security - his needs were basic - and towards
the end, political influence albeit nowhere near as much as many Nigerians
think. But the true measure of a man, particularly in the eyes of God is in his
kindness, selflessness, loyalty, generosity, and humility. And with all these
virtues as yardsticks, he truly was immeasurable...
"Like many others, I tried unsuccessfully to get him to respond to the more preposterous and spurious allegations but he never did. He refused to take on the character assassins... "
There are dozens of intriguing contributions from disparate writers in this book, all focusing on Abba Kyari, the protagonist of this work.
No doubt one of the Books of the Year, published in Nigeria; the death of President Buhari's powerful chief of staff from Covid-19 shocked countless millions
ReplyDeleteA celebrated work on a celebrated personality
ReplyDeleteA celebrated work on a celebrated personality
ReplyDeleteAlways interesting to see new books of great local interest published, like this one. Sir Kyari was a very important man, a great family man with a wife, children etc. He served his country to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteAn illuminating book. I read the Tribute written by Kyari’s daughter in full, a brilliant write-up. Many of the contributions are excellent, including that of Femi Adesina, aide to the President, Reuben Abati, and that of Dele Momodu. The author/editor has done a wonderful job, seeing this great book comes out just a few months after the death of Mallam Abba Kyari.
ReplyDeleteWhat excites me most about this book is that it knocks down the general belief that Nigerians no longer read or write. True, books are quite expensive now, but our people still love literacy. This can be seen whenever anybody manages to buy a newspaper and countless people take their turns to read it, if possible. Our newspapers are still some of the best in the world. The seemingly countless articles published here were written very soon after the death of Abba Kyari, and already a book is out on this! The author is one of Africa’s best in his field, and he is already contributing to literary legacy. And it is not just a case of him putting all these articles together, he adds many other things too, like Introduction, Preface, and reflections on many things eg the role of a Chief of Staff (which Kyari famously was). A very important work.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting book indeed, and that one should put hands on. And it is impressive to see stories get published in a form of a book so the world can read and know better.
ReplyDeleteDespite the opinions of some detractors here, it is clear from this work that the late Ntate Kyari was a self-effacing, selfless personality. He gave everything to the job, and his country though he naturally was not perfect. It is reassuring that a world class book like this has been produced honouring his legacy. The book should be distributed in literary and African centres around the world for scholarly and research purposes
ReplyDeleteDespite the opinions of some detractors here, it is clear from this work that the late Ntate Kyari was a self-effacing, selfless personality. He gave everything to the job, and his country though he naturally was not perfect. It is reassuring that a world class book like this has been produced honouring his legacy. The book should be distributed in literary and African centres around the world for scholarly and research purposes
ReplyDeleteSeems to have been very popular and notorious at the same time, intensely controversial; but he certainly made his mark. His academic laurels sure laid the foundations of a successful life.
ReplyDeleteit's good when books like this are published, for record and scholarly purposes. A very important man to have attracted so many articles and features, tributes. R.I.P
ReplyDelete