“Show me your friends; and I will tell you who you are.”
How he deals with Festus Keyamo might turn out to be one of the acid tests of President Tinubu’s sincerity in tackling governance in Nigeria. Right in front of our eyes, Keyamo committed three grave offences which, in any other country where the rule of law prevails, would have landed him in hot waters. Two of those offences did not involve you; the third did. Here they are.
FICTITIOUS 774,000 JOBS IN LGCs
“774,000 jobs: FG goes after defaulting banks” (VANGUARD, JUNE 6, 2021).
Before going into the substance of this matter, I want to declare that it is my strongest belief that the media should always hold those in power accountable at all times – without exception. For instance, since 2020, I published at least six articles warning Hadi Sirika and Nigerians that the former Minister’s approach to establishing Nigeria Air would end in disaster. Only God knows how much was wasted from public and private pockets. He was not alone. Jonathan left 55 kilometers of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway unfinished in 2015. Buhari and Fashola have failed to finish it in almost eight years. Several nations started and completed longer roads in less time and at far lower costs. Promises upon promises went unfulfilled.
But, there is no need to list seriatim all the former promises followed by failures. Ordinarily, it has never been my habit to advise Presidents on who not to appoint as Ministers or Advisers; they have turned out, since 1999, to be mostly noise makers – with little to show for their tenures in office. Keyamo was one of the worst in Buhari’s government as Minister of State for Labour. Here is why.
“History never repeats itself; man does” – Barbara Tuchman, Harvard Historian.
Keyamo announced twice, in 2019 and 2020, that the Federal Government was going to create one thousand temporary jobs in all the constitutionally recognised Local Governments in a bid to reduce youth unemployment. The young people were to be engaged for only three months. I could detect another scam about to be foisted on Nigerians. I was writing on this page in 1999 when Obasanjo and the late Chief Tony Anenih embarked on the N10 billion Poverty Alleviation Programme, PAP – which was organised the same way as Keyamo’s own giveaway programme.
In 2000, the youths were also supposed to be given short-term employment, to perform unspecified duties, at unfixed locations, without definite resumption or closing times. In exchange, they were supposed to receive N10, 000 per month. It was a fraud from start to the finish. (See my book PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORATED). In 2020, Keyamo, proving Professor Tuchman absolutely right, merely increased the wage to N20,000 per month and increased the number of participants and the bill to N52 billion.
There was nothing original about it. That was the tip off. I was waiting for the show to start. The constitutionally recognised Lagos Island Local Government is a small Island. It is impossible for 100 people to receive any benefit without all of us knowing about it; 1,000 newly-employed would mean one on every street of our Island. In fact, it was Lagos Island which exposed Obasanjo’s PAP and Buhari government’s COVID period School Feeding Programme. All the kids stayed home and nobody brought food. That, however, is another story.
It was, therefore, not surprising to me when Keyamo and the banks started bickering about funds placed with them that were not disbursed. If the FG cannot honestly fulfill a promise to people in Lagos Island, one of the smallest and socially well-integrated, then it can never do so anywhere else in Nigeria.
OPEN CHALLENGE TO KEYAMO
My former Personal Assistant recruited ten young men who had roamed the streets in Lagos Island, from Isale-Eko to Obalende; they were asked to go in search of where the recruitment would take place and to try their luck. In addition, they were to spread their dragnets all over Lagos Island to locate any recipients of the N10, 000, what they did and who paid them and how? We were unable to locate the “workers”. So, what happened to the funds?
Before Tinubu appoints Keyamo into any top office, he should be asked to publish the names and addresses of the 1, 000 people employed under the scheme.
We are waiting.
KEYAMO THE INGRATE!
“Keyamo to Buhari: It’s unconstitutional to appoint Ministers of State” (News report, May 25, 2023).
“Only cowards insult dying majesty” – Aesop’s fables.
Just when Buhari was being consigned to the dusty pages of history, an event occurred which drew my sympathy for the former President. Festus Keyamo, his former Minister of State, 2019-2023, in his speech at the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, told Buhari that it was unconstitutional to appoint Ministers of State. Johnbosco Agbakwuru, who filed the report, did not tell the readers if there was any response from Buhari – who certainly must be shocked that he committed the monumental blunder by appointing such a cowardly ingrate as a Minister.
Irrespective of the merits of Keyamo’s submissions, this address, unprecedented in Nigeria or any other country I am aware of, is the first time anybody, a lawyer for that matter, would accept appointment and serve in a post which he believed was unconstitutional. At the very least, it is unprofessional. It amounts to receiving reward from foul play. No true professional does that.
The immorality of collecting pay for performing a public role which should not exist tarnished Keyamo more than Buhari. The former President can point to the fact that Ministers of State had been appointed since the Shehu Shagari administration – without any objections from anybody alleging violation of the constitution. The obvious question is: why did Keyamo accept and serve in a post he knew breached the constitution for four years only to wait until his last day in office to raise the issue?
When he said “what I am about to say, therefore, should not be construed as an indication of ingratitude”, he had named only one of the sins he committed in that address. He was certainly ungrateful. Only God knows who recommended him to Buhari for appointment. The fellow must be regretting placing so much trust in someone undeserving of it. He was also unpatriotic. Being a financial and social beneficiary of an unconstitutional measure is the clearest case of disloyalty to country that one can imagine. And, to do so knowingly is the epitome of infamy – perhaps unequalled in the history of this country.
He started the address by disclosing that other more gutless Ministers of State had been grumbling in silence; not bold enough to speak out. It might not have occurred to him that Ministers of State had different reasons for grumbling. Some were subordinates to absolute incompetents, example was Ministry of Education. They could observe, at close quarters, the horrors which square pegs in round holes can produce. It is doubtful if they all questioned the legality of their appointments as junior Ministers.
Keyamo has always struck me as one of those who can be called “intelligent but not wise”. The late Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of Information, would have called what he did as “abuse of forum”. The valedictory session of Ministers is generally regarded as the President’s last show. Kind words are said, promises are made to keep in touch; vows to come and visit are thrown around like confetti — even if not sincerely meant. It was bad to upstage the star of the show. Keyamo would have been more in order if he called a Press Conference to warn Tinubu about appointing Ministers of State instead of embarrassing Buhari; who could no longer correct the alleged infractions.
CAN A SERVING MINISTER CAMPAIGN FULL TIME FOR A CANDIDATE?
Lawyers in politics represent two faces of people who don’t give a damn about truth or ethics. Shakespeare, 1564-1616, once proclaimed: “The first thing we do; let’s kill all the lawyers.” After that, Louis Howe, 1871-1936, told us: “You cannot adopt politics as a profession and remain honest.” Lawyer/politicians scare me. There is nothing condemnable they cannot do.
Minister Keyamo was paid by all Nigerians – irrespective of political affiliation. We expected him to work full-time on our problems. Instead, he openly took time off to work on a candidate’s campaign. That he was not sacked is the proof beyond reasonable of doubt about how inept the Buhari government was.
Question: would Buhari have allowed him to campaign for Obi? Would he have been fully paid for those months if he was working for PDP?
Any way you look at it, there is something morally wrong and legally dishonest about the whole thing. Let us see what Tinubu would do with Keyamo.
Credit: Dele Sobowale