The Presidency has disclosed that Chief of Staff to President, Malam Abba Kyari has rejected N200 million monthly grants to his office as it has been the practice in the past, according to Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Malam Garba Shehu.
Reacting to what the Presidency described as “an orchestrated campaign” to smear Kyari by a section of the press, Shehu blamed blackmailers and extortionists who are out to create imaginary division between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
According to the presidential aide, some of the allegations leveled against the President’s Chief of Staff are indirectly aimed at rubbishing the successes being recorded by the Buhari administration.
“A careful assessment of some of these allegations with a rational mind will show that there is an orchestrated campaign to smear the CoS and indirectly the President.
“If I can speculate on the matter, I will say that the problem Malam Abba Kyari has with most people is that he, like the President he serves, will not throw money at people in order to please them.
“As CoS, Malam Kyari has refused to keep cash imprest and has turned down a monthly grant of N200 million customarily given to the office.
“This is money freely spent because they were not required to account for what they did with it, ’’ he said.
The presidential aide further noted that when the President was away on the medical vacation, the Chief of Staff rallied the Presidency behind Prof. Osinbajo because he knew that his boss, President Buhari expected nothing less.
He said: “As Acting President, Vice President Osinbajo enjoyed the support of the Villa Staff and the entire cabinet. Otherwise he would not have succeeded and earned the praises of the President.
“These are just a few among the false and illogical accusations making the CoS larger than life, with the aim of pulling him down. No Chief of Staff including this one can create hurdles for a president and survive the next day.
“The roles and duties don’t warrant the kind of falsehood being spread.’’
