2027: Tinubu clearing your mess, Keyamo knocks Atiku Abubakar 

Politics

LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of hypocrisy over the liquidation of Nigeria Airways and the payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities to former employees.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), made the allegations in a statement on Wednesday, accusing Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), of failing to address the plight of former Nigeria Airways workers during his time in office.

The minister said the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which Atiku served as vice-president, liquidated the national carrier in September 2004, leaving thousands of workers without jobs and allegedly failing to pay their outstanding benefits.

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Keyamo said President Bola Tinubu had approved and released N36 billion to settle outstanding entitlements owed to former Nigeria Airways workers and their families.

“Twenty-two years later, after many of them have died out of frustration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now clearing the mess you left behind,” the minister said.

He added that beneficiaries had begun receiving payment notifications and that the workers’ union had recently recognised Tinubu for the intervention.

The claims regarding the payment and the circumstances surrounding the liquidation were presented by Keyamo in his statement.

The aviation minister also accused Atiku of taking credit for decisions made by the Obasanjo administration when convenient, while distancing himself from responsibility when the administration faced criticism.

“When it is convenient for you, you claim some credit of the Obasanjo-Atiku government and when not convenient, you say Obasanjo was in charge and not you as Vice-President,” Keyamo said.

He described Atiku’s position as inconsistent and accused him of using political rhetoric to advance his presidential ambition.

The exchange comes as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with leading political figures and parties increasingly criticising their opponents.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Atiku nor the ADC had responded to Keyamo’s allegations.

-NPA