Baba Gana Kingibe was fired yesterday as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) – 15 minutes after President Yar’Adua performed his first function for the day.
Kingibe was replaced by Defence Minister Mahmud Yayale Ahmed who resumed work immediately.

The government did not give any reason for Kingibe’s sack, which was announced through a terse statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President (Communications), Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi.

The announcement scared ministers, who felt a cabinet reshuffle would follow. The Executive Council meets tomorrow.

The statement reads:

"President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua today appointed Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Alhaji Ahmed, who was until his new appointment the incumbent Minister of Defence, replaces Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe.

"His reassignment is with effect from today, Monday, September 8, 2008."

Kingibe hails from Borno State, a Kanuri. He served from October 2002 to September 2006 as AU Special Envoy to Sudan and Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). Kingibe was presidential candidate under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He was nominated as running mate to the party’s candidate in the June 12 1993 election, the late Chief MKO Abiola. When the election was annulled by the country Military president, Ibrahim Babangida, Kingibe served as the Foreign Minister of Nigeria from 1993 to 1995. He was served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Power and Steel in the regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha. In June 2007, he was appointed Secretary to the Federal Government.

Kingibe was suddenly sacked because he was becoming "too powerful" and ambitious.

A highly-placed source who spoke in confidence with The Nation said Kingibe had been wielding powers as if he was the alternative Vice-President.

He said: "I can tell you that Kingibe’s removal had been in the pipeline in the last two months. Intelligence reports on the ex-SGF were too overwhelming for any President to ignore.

"Kingibe had been conducting state affairs in such a manner as if the buck stopped on his table. He always wanted to have the last say on an issue or policy matter.

"The consequence is that many issues had been pending from ministries, departments and agencies. With such unwieldy powers, the administration of Yar’Adua became slow.

"Many appointments were at his beck and call. In some instances, decisions had been taken before the President realised that they should not have been. For instance, the Office of the SGF had subtly re-introduced the de-monetisation policy, without Yar’Adua’s knowledge, through the backdoor. Kingibe had attempted to buy 100 vehicles for ministers until the National Assembly halted it."

According to the source, who pleaded not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, "at a point, the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, threatened to resign because Kingibe was not only usurping his functions, he was not deferring to him on issues."

The source added: "Before Kingibe was appointed, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had vehemently opposed his choice. Obasanjo alleged that apart from being over-ambitious, he could not trust an intelligence officer with a high profile office like the SGF.

"And in the last few months, the conduct of government business by Kingibe left much suspicion about his ambition.

"The way and manner he presented a memo to convince Yar’Adua to scrap the Office of Chief of Staff smacked of an ambitious project which did not go down well with those in government.

"Even the report of the African Peer Review Mechanism, which Kingibe co-ordinated, condemned the seven-point agenda of Yar’Adua.

The source added: "When the President was away, the machinery of government was virtually halted. Kingibe did not conduct business of government in a tidy manner.

"The thinking of the President and members of his kitchen cabinet is that if Kingibe had shown much enthusiasm and mobilised the nation’s workforce, there would not have been a lull in government.

"The former SGF did not even issue a statement during the absence of the President. "

The source also added that the Presidency was uncomfortable with intrigues surrounding the effort to begin to think beyond Yar’Adua. And immediately the President came, he was fully briefed."

Although it could not be immediately ascertained those behind the intrigues, it was learnt that some members of the National Assembly had been conscripted into the secret plan to remove Yar’Adua.

According to the source, a private bill had been prepared by a Senator representing Rivers State on how to address incapacitation of a President of Nigeria.

The bill, which should have been presented to the Senate upon resumption today is entitled: "An Act to specify the statutory order, procedure and time frame of succession to the offices of the President and Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the event of the occurrence of permanent incapacity, death, resignation, impeachment or removal from office of the holder of any of the offices thereof in accordance with Sections 143 and 144 of the Constitution and designate other matters appertaining thereto."

With the development, it could not be determined if the Senator would go ahead to sponsor the bill or not.

Attempts to speak with Kingibe were unsuccessful last night. When our correspondent visited his office, he was said "not to be around".

The Special Adviser (Media) to the former SGF, Mrs. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, declined comments last night.

A source in the SGF’s office said: "I think Kingibe got wind of his removal on Sunday. Before some of us resumed work on Monday, both the former SGF and his media adviser had almost cleared their tables. They cleared their tables overnight. This underscored the fact that Kingibe knew before hand that the game was up."

As at press time, it was learnt that Kingibe would hand over to the new SGF, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, today.

On the choice of Ahmed, the source added: "He is a tested bureaucrat like a former SGF, Chief Ufot Ekaette. Having been the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for many years, the government machinery would get a good pace."

Kingibe betrayed Yardua's trust to achieve and impossible ambition. If Yardua were Machiavellian he would have destroyed Kingibe Political life. The sack was too small a punishment.


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to my own point of view, he want the President to die from the sickness and use the medium to take power for himself, alreadly i had over power the vice predident.

i need to go underground for ten years

did u people knew thta obj personlly tell Yar du that the same people that cause the problem are still leaving on earth, he warn Mr. president that i must not invite Gana into his carbinet you can now see that obj was right be saying that. is only God that save the President if he give view month more he would have kill Yar du and make him self as president. i thing so ,