Ibrahim Gambari
Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR (born November 24, 1944), is a Nigerian academic and diplomat currently serving as the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.[1][2]
Early life
Ibrahim Agboola Gambari was born on 24 November 1944 in Ilorin, Kwara State to a Fulani ruling class family. His nephew Ibrahim Sulu Gambari is the Emir of Illorin.[3]
Education
Gambari attended King's College, Lagos. He subsequently attended the London School of Economics where he obtained his B. Sc. (Economics) degree (1968) with specialisation in International Relations. He later obtained his M.A. (1970) and Ph. D. (1974) degrees from Columbia University, New York, USA in Political Science /International Relations[4].
Academic career
Gambari began his teaching career in 1969 at City University of New York before working at University of Albany. Later, he taught at Ahmadu Bello University, in Zaria, Kaduna State[5]. From 1986 to 1989, he was Visiting Professor at three universities in Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University and Howard University. He has also been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution also in Washington D.C. and a Resident Scholar at the Bellagio Study and Conference Center, the Rockefeller Foundation-run center in Italy. He has written so many books and published in reputable journals in foreign policy and international relations, such as 'Theory and Reality in Foreign Policy: Nigeria after second Republic',
Diplomatic career
Nigeria
Gambari served as the Minister for External Affairs between 1984 and 1985 under General Muhammadu Buhari's military regime, after he was the director general of The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). From 1990 to 1999, he holds the record of being the longest serving Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, serving under five Heads of State and Presidents.
United Nations
Gambari has held several positions in the United Nations. In 1999, he was the President of UNICEF and later became UN Under Secretary-General and the first Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan from 1999 to 2005. He was the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political Affairs from 2005 to 2007 under Secretary-General's Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon. His last appointment in the UN was from January 2010 to July 2012, when he was appointed by Ban Ki-moon and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission as the Joint African Union-United Nations Special Representative for Darfur.[6]
Honours and memberships
- Founder and Chairman of the Savannah Centre
- Gambari is the co-chair of the Albright-Gambari Commission
- He is a member of the Johns Hopkins University's Society of Scholars
- He was decorated with the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the Government of Nigeria
- He was accorded, honoris causa, the title of Doctor of Humane Letters (D.Hum.Litt.) from the University of Bridgeport
- On 4 March 2013, Ibrahim Gambari was named by the Governor of Kwara Abdulfatah Ahmad, as the Chancellor of the Kwara State University
Footnotes
- ^ "It's official… Ibrahim Gambari is new chief of staff". The Cable. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Perishable. "Buhari Appoints Gambari as Chief of Staff". TELL. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ Onasanya, Angelicus (2010). Ibrahim Agboola Gambari : the man for all challenges. S.l.: Xilibris Corp. ISBN 9781453532126.
- ^ "Profile: Prof Ibrahim Gambari, New Chief Of Staff To Nigeria's President Buhari". Nigerian Bulletin - Top Nigeria News Links. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "Nigeria has a new chief of staff, here are few things to know about him". Businessday NG. 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "About Us - First Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari | Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, OSAA". www.un.org. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
External links
- UN Biography Ibrahim Gambari
- Department of Political Affairs, United Nations Headquarters, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari Under-Secretary-General/Special Adviser on Africa, New York, January, 2000 (biography)
- List of recent speeches
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Nigerian officials of the United Nations
- 1944 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni
- Howard University faculty
- Georgetown University faculty
- Johns Hopkins University alumni
- Ahmadu Bello University faculty
- Kwara State
- Nigerian diplomats
- Permanent Representatives of Nigeria to the United Nations
- King's College, Lagos alumni
- Yoruba academics
- Yoruba politicians
- Yoruba diplomats
- Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States
- Kwara State University people
- People from Ilorin
- Nigerian scholars
- Chairmen and Presidents of UNICEF