Keyamo accuses unnamed former minister of orchestrating attack against him
By Jeffrey Agbo
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused a former minister, whom he did not mention, of orchestrating plans to downplay his achievements since becoming minister.
A statement on Wednesday signed by his spokesman, Tunde Moshood, titled, “A Reply to One Iliyasu Gadu Who Has Been Hired to Attack Festus Keyamo,” stated, “We are aware that a certain former Minister met with some so-called ‘online influencers’ and some hack writers in Abuja some weeks ago and the agenda was simply on how to generate comments, articles and editorials and plant them in various media against no other person than the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN to water down the efforts he’s presently making to reposition the aviation sector as mandated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“They have since embarked on a well-oiled campaign of calumny against the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
“This coordinated attack is clearly driven by their total discomfort over the Honourable Minister’s commendable performance and focus on key issues in that sector which has confounded even his fiercest critics. So, we know where Iliyasu Gadu is coming from.”
The statement noted that the minister expected the push-back by “the reactionary forces,” noting that the beneficiaries of the old, decadent order would hardly ever give up old privileges without a fight.
The statement observed, “But, definitely, in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians, the Honourable Minister is doing a damn good patriotic job by restoring the culture of sanity, efficiency and accountability in the aviation sector, consistent with President Tinubu’s renewed Hope Agenda.
“In the last few weeks, the paymaster and his hirelings wrote and planted an editorial in one of the nation’s major dailies complaining about Keyamo’s alleged ‘interference’ in what they see as ‘regulatory issues on safety.’
“Apparently pained by the wide applause that has greeted the Minister’s bold initiatives both in the media and civic space, these disgruntled elements decided to generate a laughable and warped ‘fact-check’ on the stated achievements with a view to discrediting them. But knowledgeable folks who read the so-called ‘fact-check’ only laughed out so loud that they could not help but call for another fact-check to check the fact-checker!”
READ ALSO:
Airport puff-puff sellers also claim to be aviation experts in Nigeria, says Keyamo
Picking holes in the article written by Gadu, which referred to Keyamo as ‘embattled’ the Minister stated: “Haba! Who could be more embattled than his paymaster who has been running from pillar to post to clear himself of barrage of corruption charges, ineptitude during his tenure and fraudulent projects he embarked upon?”
The statement also noted that Keyamo has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership and strategic acumen, earning him accolades and admiration from members of the public, adding that any attempt to discredit him, particularly by a former minister whose reputation had already been tarnished, was not only baseless but also a desperate bid to deflect from his own failures.
The statement described the article written against the minister as alarmist, noting that Gadu’s spurious claims, particularly regarding the ICAO score, were unfounded.
“The recent 71 per cent ICAO score is a reflection of systemic issues inherited from previous administration, and not as a result of Mr. Keyamo’s stewardship of just nine months. It was Mr. Keyamo’s brilliance and managerial expertise that steered the nation through the ICAO audit process, mitigating what could have been worse situation. Mr. Keyamo has since set up a Ministerial team, headed by himself and to be meeting monthly, to prepare for the next audit, something never done before in the sector.
“In fact, in Gadu’s confused state, on the one hand, he blames Mr. Keyamo for the ICAO’s score which happened under Keyamo’s watch (he feels Mr. Keyamo could have done more to remedy the situation), yet in the same breath, he criticises Mr. Keyamo for ‘interference’ in regulatory matters. Haba!
“He needs to clear his head properly and further consult his paymaster as to whether they should criticise Mr. Keyamo for safety issues or tell Mr. Keyamo to totally keep off safety issues,” the statement noted.
Furthermore, on the issue of the Abuja second runway and the land dispute with the Jiwa Community, the statement said the facts speak for themselves, disclosing that the head of the Jiwa Community himself, HRH Idris Musa, Sarkin Jiwa, at different public fora openly acknowledged the sterling role Keyamo played the moment he assumed office in resolving the major part of the issues, allowing the contractors to immediately move to site.
The statement added that Keyamo was ably assisted by his counterpart in the FCT ministry, remarking that the information was readily available and corroborated by numerous sources, contrary to the misleading narratives propagated by those it described as “alarmist.”
