Who is a Chief of Staff to the President? -By Khalifa Musa Muhammad

Introduction

The Chief of Staff (CoS) manages the staff of the president. The chief oversees the activities in the office of the president. The chain of access to the Commander-in-Chief is controlled by the chief. That is why the CoS is seen as a gatekeeper. If the president is the chief executive officer then his chief of staff is the chief operating officer.

The office of the CoS is not created by the constitution but it is an important office. The prerogative of appointing a chief of staff lies with the president. The appointee needs not to be elected by the people or screened by the senate. Our democracy is modeled after that of the United States of America (USA). The Brownlow Committee formed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 attested that “presidents need help”. To really ensure that the president gets the help he deserves, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed Sherman Adams as his CoS. Eisenhower prefers that document gets screened by a trusted confidant before he receives it. President Eisenhower was once presented with a letter and he snapped “never bring me a sealed envelope”.

Eisenhower, a highly-decorated general during World War II, promoted this concept using his military experience. This concept ensures that chain of command and information are properly channeled. But it was during President Nixon’s regime that his CoS, Harry Haldeman, clearly defined the model for the office. Your chief of staff is your honest broker. As a chief you channel information, shape decisions and broker peace amongst feuding members of the administration. As president, your gatekeeper must ensure that you are well-served by your staff.

President Barack Obama once said that “typical breakthroughs are as a result of grunt work – just a whole lot of tackling and blocking”. This is what the gatekeeper does: sieving and ensuring that the president gets the right information to make informed decisions. The president’s time is very important and it has to be used wisely. The chief has to make certain that whatever gets to the president is accurate and worthy of presidential attention. Every hour of the day is scheduled for the president and this should not be misused as it will affect governance. As a gatekeeper do not shut your door but shut that of the president to avoid distractions.

An intelligent president without a gatekeeper would have a disorganized and dysfunctional administration. The thread of policy and politics would not converge on the fabric of governance. President Carter was adjudged to be very intelligent but he lost his reelection abysmally. Carter spent his first two years in office marrying presidential duties with gatekeeping. If he had a good CoS he would not have spent a night reading a 150 page memo correcting typos.

Carter would eventually have two gatekeepers: Hamilton Jordan and Jack Watson. President Reagan told Watson that if he had been the gatekeeper from inception then he, Reagan, would not have defeated Carter. In the USA it is argued that the Chiefs of Staff play critical roles to the success or failure of administrations. James A Baker III, former Chief of Staff to President Reagan and President George HW Bush once said “you can very well make the argument that the White House chief of staff is the second-most-powerful job in government”. That tells you how powerful the office is.

Furthermore, choose a consigliere as a gatekeeper. A good adviser that will always tell the truth at all cost. In 2001, the World Trade Center was attacked. Andrew Card as chief of staff to President Bush announced the attack to the president. Card, advised the president not to return to White House immediately sensing it as a target. Bush was not comfortable with a detour but he later succumbed. Card was concerned about his president. This is what a gatekeeper does.

The New CoS

In the fourth republic, from 1999 to date, every president has had a CoS. In Nigeria, usually, the vice president and other appointments are chosen on the basis of political balancing. But the chief should not be selected on this basis. If you get it wrong with the chief then you are doomed. President Tinubu has announced that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, would be his CoS. Hon Gbajabiamila is one of the many protégés of Tinubu and has been a legislator since 2003.

On 14 June 2023 Gbajabiamila assumed office as the CoS to President Tinubu. Putting Nigeria on the pedestal of peace, growth and progress is a challenge that has to be surmounted if this administration wants to succeed. The CoS should make sure that policies are driven in an efficient manner for the actualization of the president’s agenda. Also, the chief has to ensure that relevant stakeholders are always consulted before decisions are reached.

Suggestions

In choosing a gatekeeper, choose someone that is unwaveringly loyal and not a saboteur. Get an individual that is conversant with statecraft, public policy, diplomacy and politics and how to apply them at the right time and place. Despite the authority, power and influence of the office the gatekeeper has to know that the first law of power is “never outshine the master”. The gatekeeper should always serve earnestly and remember that he is not indispensable.

I recommend that we elevate the office of the CoS in Nigeria to attain cabinet status. Already, the office controls access and information to the president. Attaining a cabinet level for the occupant of the office would add more authority to the office. This would make the CoS primus inter pares: first amongst equals.

President Buhari was criticized when he directed his ministers to go through his gatekeeper, the late Abba Kyari, for meetings and matters needing his attention. Probably, there would have been no bashing if the president’s “right hand man” was constitutionally recognized as a member of the Federal Executive Council.

Finally, our scholars should be encouraged to write books on Nigeria’s gatekeepers. This will enlighten the general public about the functions of the State House Chief of Staff. The books would serve as a source of knowledge for politicians, academics and would-be gatekeepers.

Khalifa Musa Muhammad a public affairs analyst from Kaduna, Nigeria. He can be reached at thechemist14@gmail.com