ABUJA, Nigeria – In the wake of revelations that the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, purchased a house in the United States for over $300,000, Phrank Shaibu, special assistant on Public Communication to the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has demanded that the National Assembly publish a report on its investigation into the N52 billion Special Works Programme.
In 2021, the Federal Government allocated N52 billion to hire 774,000 Nigerians across 774 Local Government Areas for three months.
These workers were tasked with menial jobs such as clearing drainages, sweeping markets, and cutting grass to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shaibu claims that Keyamo orchestrated the dismissal of Nasiru Argungu, the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, insisting he was in charge of the project, which the National Assembly deemed a failure.
He noted that the National Assembly described the program as a sham and questioned how the funds were spent.
“With his open confession that he has acquired houses in the United States of America, I hereby call on the National Assembly to publish its report on the failed project. I also call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately probe the finances of Festus Keyamo,” Shaibu said.
He also highlighted Keyamo’s record as an activist and EFCC prosecutor before taking public office and becoming a minister. Shaibu criticized Keyamo’s claims of being a real estate mogul, stating it is “laughable and an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians.”
In response, Keyamo said he informed relevant government agencies of the closure of his foreign accounts and repatriation of funds, as Nigerian law prohibits public officials from operating foreign bank accounts.
He added, “My assets declaration is there for all to see. Some of us don’t need government funds or patronage to get by. Whatever we do and whoever we support is out of our deep convictions.”
However, Shaibu challenged Keyamo to publish his asset declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 2019.
“Keyamo had specifically orchestrated the sacking of the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Nasiru Argungu, insisting that he was in charge of the N52 billion project which the National Assembly noted was a flop,” Atiku’s aide wrote.
“Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had stated that many of the beneficiaries of the funds did not get anything, while others who got did not do any job. They, therefore, questioned Keyamo’s running of the programme and promised to launch an investigation into the matter.
“The National Assembly had described the special works programme as a sham and also questioned how the funds were spent. Keyamo had, for the last two years, defended the shambolic implementation of the programme.
“With his open confession that he has acquired houses in the United States of America, I hereby call on the National Assembly to publish its report on the failed project.
“I also call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately probe the finances of Festus Keyamo, who only became a Senior Advocate two years before becoming a minister.
“It is public record that Keyamo was an activist and a prosecutor for the EFCC, doing mostly pro bono cases before taking public office. However, he now boasts of being a real estate mogul after becoming a minister.
“This is laughable and an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians. In any case, Keyamo’s time as Minister of State for Labour and Employment witnessed the highest level of unemployment, which KPMG says is about to hit 40 per cent.
“Under Keyamo, universities also witnessed prolonged strikes, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities proceeded on a ten-month strike in 2020 and eight months of industrial action in 2021.
“Keyamo clearly failed as a minister but grew wealthier in the process through his so-called real estate business. He thus needs to be investigated with immediate effect.
“Keyamo has one month left on his tenure as minister, which means he will need to declare his assets before the CCB next month. Let him make public his asset declaration forms, before and after office, to prove to Nigerians that he did not steal.
“The truth about Keyamo is that he is a hypocrite, a rabble-rouser who pretends to be on the side of the masses but is only after his stomach. He started as a disciple of the great Gani Fawehinmi but has since strayed from Gani’s ideals by serving as Spokesman for a man who was anathema to Gani and who Gani had accused of forgery and fraud, Bola Tinubu,” he added.
