UPDATE 3-Nigerian president's chief of staff dies from coronavirus

* Chief of staff tested positive for coronavirus in March
* Kyari was President Buhari's top aide
* Body buried during private ceremony in Abuja

(Adds Buhari and Lagos state government comments)
By Alexis Akwagyiram
LAGOS, April 18 (Reuters) - The Nigerian president's chief
of staff died on Friday from COVID-19, the presidency said on
Saturday, making him the most high profile person in the country
to die in the coronavirus outbreak.
Abba Kyari had acted as the gatekeeper to 77-year-old
President Muhammadu Buhari. After his re-election last year,
Buhari ordered ministers to channel all communications through
him.
Kyari had underlying health problems including diabetes.
Reuters reported on March 24 that he had contracted the disease.
"Mallam Abba Kyari, who died on 17th April, 2020, at the age
of 67 from complications caused by the coronavirus, was a true
Nigerian patriot," said Buhari in a tweet, using an honorific
title for Kyari.
He referred to Kyari as his "loyal friend and compatriot for
the last 42 years" who, as chief of staff, "strove quietly and
without any interest in publicity or personal gain" to implement
the president's agenda.
Kyari travelled to Germany in early March with a delegation
of other Nigerian officials for meetings with Siemens AG
SIEGn.DE . He attended meetings with senior government
officials upon his return to Nigeria before he was diagnosed as
having contracted the new coronavirus.
Nigeria has 493 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, according to
the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Buhari, whose public pronouncements are rare, himself has
undisclosed medical ailments and spent five months in London for
treatments in 2017.
Kyari's death might leave a potential opening for a rethink
of policy at the heart of government.
Analysts said the government's statist approach since Buhari
took office in 2015 was in large part influenced by his chief of
staff, a former executive at the United Bank for Africa Plc.
Antony Goldman, head of Nigeria-focused PM Consulting, said
Kyari was "the central figure in driving forward" government
policies on agricultural reform, investment in infrastructure
and power.
"Kyari was very close to Buhari and arguably the most
powerful man within the administration," said Malte
Liewerscheidt, vice president of Teneo Intelligence in a note.
"Kyari's death removes the centre of gravity from Buhari's
inner circle and might provide an opening for more reform-minded
elements such as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo," he said.
Kyari's death could be very significant because he showed
"an immense ability to wield power in the context of a largely
absent president", said Clement Nwankwo, director of the
Abuja-based Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre think-tank.
"There is no evidence that the chief of staff shared that
power with anyone. He was totally trusted and it isn't clear who
could fill those shoes," said Nwankwo.
Kyari died at a private hospital in the commercial capital,
Lagos, a statement issued by Lagos state government said.
His body was flown to the capital, Abuja, on Saturday. He
was buried at a cemetery in the city in a private ceremony after
funeral prayers at his residence, said Buhari's spokesman Garba
Shehu.