…Calls Ex VP Con Artist
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described former Vice, President Atiku Abubakar as “a con artist,” accusing him of hypocrisy over the liquidation of Nigeria Airways in 2004.
Keyamo was reacting to a video posted by Atiku earlier on Wednesday, in which the former vice president urged Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote for change, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “made life expensive” and promising to “make life affordable again.”
In a post on his X handle, Keyamo said he would restrict his response to the aviation sector, which he heads.
“Your Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, this is hypocrisy at its peak! Let me just talk only about the sector that I head, Aviation,” Keyamo wrote.
The minister recalled that in September 2004, when Atiku was vice president, the government liquidated Nigeria Airways, throwing thousands of Nigerians out of jobs.
“In September, 2004, when you were Vice President, your Government woke up one morning and liquidated Nigeria Airways, throwing thousands of Nigerians out of jobs and into sorrow and pain. To add salt into their wounds, you refused to pay them their pensions and gratuities, running into billions of Naira,” he said.
Keyamo said 22 years later, after many of the affected workers had died “out of frustration,” President Tinubu was now clearing the mess.
“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. Over a month ago, Mr. President approved and released the total sum of N36 billion to bring succour to these families. They have started receiving alerts and praying for Mr. President. In fact, the President was given an Award for this by the workers’ union a few weeks ago,” he said.
The minister then accused Atiku of attempting to mislead younger Nigerians.
“Yet you sit down there and pontificate? It’s only the younger ones who don’t know your history you can attempt to hoodwink, but we will expose you to them. You cannot disguise your inordinate ambition in a cloud of rhetorical gibberish,” Keyamo said.
He also accused the former vice president of inconsistency in taking credit for the achievements of the Obasanjo-Atiku administration while distancing himself from its failures.
“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. The proper posturing of a con artist!” he said.
Atiku, in his earlier post, had said Nigerians were carrying pain and hardship, and urged registered voters to collect their PVCs ahead of the 2027 general election.
“Parents go to bed worried about what they will feed their children tomorrow. Pensioners must choose between buying medicine and buying food. Young people work hard, yet transport, rent and basic needs consume what they earn. And across the country, families live with the fear of kidnapping, attacks and whether their loved ones will return home safely,” Atiku said.
“Bola made life expensive. I will work to make life affordable again and restore the security every Nigerian deserves. Let us stand together, across generations, and vote for a Nigeria where every family can live with dignity, safety and hope.”
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