By Eshioromeh Sebastian
Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, was named “Minister of the Decade” at the Daily Times centenary awards, capping a year of sweeping reforms that have reshaped the country’s aviation sector.
The award, presented Thursday at the ThisDay Dome in Abuja, recognised Keyamo’s push to overhaul Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure, prioritise domestic airlines over a state carrier, and attract foreign investment into the industry.
He was among a select group of public figures honoured by the media house as it marked 100 years of publication.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, described the Daily Times’ survival over a century as “a testament to endurance, relevance and institutional resilience.” Governors from Zamfara, Niger, Nasarawa, and Lagos were among dignitaries at the event, alongside former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
But in a ceremony defined by celebration, Keyamo used his moment on stage to deflect attention from himself. Receiving the plaque from the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Minister immediately dedicated the award to the chief executives of Nigeria’s aviation agencies.
“I receive this award with gratitude and humility. It is not about me as an individual,” Keyamo said. “It is about the collective effort to show that service above self is still possible in Nigeria.”
His remarks reflected a carefully cultivated narrative within the Ministry—that the progress seen in Nigeria’s aviation space is institutional, not personal. By his side at the event were the heads of the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, NiMet, NCAT, and the African Aviation and Aerospace University, all of whom have been central to implementing the administration’s reforms.
Those reforms have not been without controversy. Keyamo has faced criticism over the pace of infrastructure upgrades at major airports and concerns from airline operators about high operating costs.
But his decision to abandon the long-standing push for a national carrier, a project that had consumed billions in political capital under previous administrations, has won him praise from industry watchers.
“President has formally approved the establishment of the Nigerian Aircraft Leasing Company,” Keyamo had announced weeks earlier, a move designed to resolve the crippling aircraft leasing bottlenecks that have grounded local airlines for years.
The African Development Bank is now finalising a memorandum of understanding on the initiative, signalling growing international backing.
The Daily Times centenary, which featured the unveiling of The Nigerian Grand Book, also honoured figures like Chief Segun Osoba, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, and Sam Amuka-Pemu, journalists who defined an era when the newspaper shaped the country’s public discourse.
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