Ganduje sacks Commissioner for Works for ‘celebrating’ Abba Kyari’s death on Facebook

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano has sacked the state’s Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Muaz Magaji for speaking ill of Abba Kyari, the former Chief of Staff to the President who died on Friday, April 17, 2020.

The former Chief of Staff died in Lagos 24 days after he tested positive for coronavirus.

Hours after Kyari’s death was announced, Magaji took to his Facebook page to mourn the deceased and also passed some comments majority of his followers on the social media platform found offensive.

One of the posts on his page reads, “Nigeria is bigger than any individual…While praying for the president’s late support staff, ours is to prevent a repeat of his non-accountable domineering era”.

Another post reads, “I am not a hypocrite and I won’t pretend! While at a personal level I pray Allah grant Abba Kyari Jannah… I sincerely believe Nigeria needed a better CoS.”

The commissioner in another post also said he's perfectly aware of the consequence of his remarks

Reacting to the remarks, Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant on New Media to President Muhammadu Buhari tweeted at the Kano State Government to call Magaji to order.

He tweeted, “I am really disappointed and pained by the Kano State Commissioner for Works, Engr. Muazu Magaji’s remarks on Mallam Abba Kyari’s demise, the commissioner was seen publicly celebrating the death on his Facebook page. I hope@KanoStateNG and @GovUmarGanduje will call him to order”.

Shortly after, the state government announced that Magaji has been relieved of his appointment as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure with immediate effect.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s media aide, Salihu Tanko Yakasai while announcing this said Magaji was sacked following “his unguarded utterances against the person of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari”.