CONTROVERSIAL DEVELOPMENT:
Nigeria’s Minister, FESTUS KEYAMO buys Luxurious Texas’ Mansion for a whooping $360,000 Cash, Transfer Millions of Dollars idle funds Overseas to acquire other Foreign Properties
…says: ‘Houston Mansion is Cheapest of all my Houses Abroad, I am a Rich Man working very hard daily, I don’t Need to Steal Public Funds from Government to be comfortable, Made a lot of Money from Legal Practice and Real Estate Investment’
*“We are demanding EFCC to launch a full probe now into this matter on how he bought this property after becoming a Minister of the Federal Republic, challenging the Senate to publish report on how N52billion Special Works Programme Covid-19 Fund under Keyamo was disbursed to 774 Local Government Area in 2021 without any supervision”-ATIKU Abubakar’s Aide
*Mansion located at 5509 Silver Canyon LN TX 77583 in Savannah Trace having 4 Beds, 3.5 Baths with 2,840 Square Feet listed $259, 900 was off market on January 22, 2021 -INVESTIGATION
*NAIJA Standard Newspaper Editorial BOARD writes Code of Conduct Bureau for Certified True Copy of Keyamo’s Asset Declaration Form Submitted in 2019 under Freedom of Information Act in Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
*BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICA Senior Investigative Editor & HABIB LAWAL/SPECIAL Correspondent, Anti-Graft/Judiciary, Abuja
THE ACTIVITIES OF NIGERIA’S Minister of State for Labour and Employment, FESTUS KEYAMO Overseas, especially his properties’ acquisition in various foreign countries, and his recent statement confirmation that he paid a staggering $360,000 cash for a luxurious mansion located at 5509 Silver Canyon LN 77583 in Savannah Trace, Texas has drawn the ire of most Nigerians who have roundly condemned his obvious ostentatious lifestyle and wondered how he was able to achieve such huge comfort from his law practice payment and real estate business.
Corroborating this view, a document exposing how the Nigerian Minister Keyamo, bought the sprawling property in Texas, the United States worth over $359,000 has been obtained.
The document showed that Keyamo got the property at 5509 Silver Canyon LN TX 77583 in Savannah Trace, with no traceable income that could justify the purchase.
Keyamo had in the past been a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but got the same property a few years after he was appointed as minister.
“Behold the man that keeps bragging that he is an EFCC prosecutor; he bought a house in Texas. How much was he earning as a minister barely two years after he was appointed? Remember he had stopped practicing because of his appointment,” a top source queried.
Keyamo, also presently spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress, had handled several corruption cases for the EFCC,
In 2016, he withdrew as the prosecuting counsel in a corruption case between the Federal government and former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State.
Keyamo had said he was stepping down as the lead prosecutor for the case instituted by EFCC, due to recent developments which could hinder him from prosecuting the case effectively and vigorously. He did not give details of the developments.
For the records, Keyamo had in January 2023 written to the anti-graft agencies, ICPC, EFCC and CCB to arrest, interrogate and prosecute the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for alleged fleecing of public funds.
The minister gave the agencies 72 hours to initiate arrest, investigation and possible prosecution of the former Vice President.
In a suit filed at an Abuja Federal High Court against the CCB, ICPC and EFCC, the Minister prayed the court to make a mandatory order compelling the anti-graft agencies to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the Atiku in respect of the information available to him “in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as “Special Purpose Vehicles” to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”
He had also asked for a mandatory order compelling Atiku to make himself available to the anti-graft agencies “to aid and investigate the former Vice President on information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a “Special Purpose Vehicles” to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.”
*My properties abroad not acquired with public funds-Festus Keyamo
Keyamo in his reaction has provided clarification on a property he was said to have acquired in the United States of America.
Keyamo, in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Saturday, said he did not acquire the house with stolen funds.
Recall that the Minister has been trending on social media over the controversial US property. But, he has confirmed that the property belongs to him, noting that he acquired it with money he made from legal practice.
Keyamo said he was only trying to bait the horde of those he called sore losers at the last elections with a video of his vacation in “one of my properties abroad” amid a light workout.
“They fell so terribly for the bait, they seem to view everyone from their depraved universe and assuming everyone will wallow in the same moral squalor as them.”
On how he acquired the property, Keyamo said he had, on March 6, 2019, written to the relevant government agencies, informing them of the closure of his foreign account(s) and the repatriation of the funds to the country, “being some savings I had made as a private legal practitioner and a property investor over decades.”
According to Keyamo, the foreign funds were lying in his accounts until he was appointed Minister in 2019.
He stated, “In 2021, I again wrote to the relevant agencies (by letters dated January 22, 2021), informing them of the movement of those funds out of the country to purchase a property as a better investment decision, instead of the funds lying idly in the account whilst I am in public office.”
The Minister said he laughed when he saw the trending issues regarding “just one of my properties in the US.”
He said it was laughable that some people think that he (Keyamo) could not afford such a property after his 30 years of active, high-profile practice of law.
Keyamo added that he has been underrated because he had chosen to live a simple and modest life and not given to the ostentatious display of wealth.
He said the building is “about the cheapest of my several properties.”
Keyamo added that his flourishing and manned law chambers and his real estate investments are still far more financially profitable than serving Nigeria.
“Ours is a labour of love to my country,” he said. He added that “Some of us don’t need Government funds or patronage to get by.”
…Senate asked to publish report on N52bn Special Works Programme for 774 LGAs disbursed by Keyamo in 2021 during COVID-19, Keyamo challenged to publish what is contained in his assets declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 2019
For boasting of or flaunting his properties in the United States, Keyamo is now under fire as he has been asked to publish his assets declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau in 2019. The National Assembly has also got a request to publish a report of its investigation on the N52 billion Special Works Programme implemented by Keyamo during COVID-19.
The Special Assistant on Public Communication to ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Phrank Shaibu, made the demand in a statement obtained by Persecondnews on Sunday while reacting to Keyamo’s acquisition of a house in the United States (U.S.) at the cost of over $300,000.
It would be recalled that in 2021, the Federal Government had in a bid to ameliorate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, approved the sum of N52bn for the hiring of 774,000 Nigerians across all the local government areas in the country for three months.
The 774,000 Nigerians were recruited to do some menial jobs such as clearing of drainages, sweeping of markets, cutting grass and other community services.
Keyamo had masterminded the sacking of the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Alhaji Nasiru Argungu, insisting that he was in charge of the N52bn project which the National Assembly noted was a flop.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives had investigated the implementation of the programme, insisting that many of the beneficiaries were not paid, while others who got did not do any job.
ATIKU Abubakar Dares KEYAMO:
Reacting to Keyamo’s claim that he owns several houses in the U.S., Shaibu said: “The National Assembly had described the special works programme as a sham and also questioned how the funds were spent. Keyamo had, for the last two years, defended the shambolic implementation of the programme.
“With his open confession that he has acquired houses in the U.S., I hereby call on the National Assembly to publish its report on the failed project. I also call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately probe the finances of Festus Keyamo, who only became a senior advocate two years before becoming a minister.
“It is public record that Keyamo was an activist and a prosecutor for the EFCC, doing mostly pro bono cases before taking public office.
“However, he now boasts of being a real estate mogul after becoming a minister. This is laughable and an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians.
“In any case, Keyamo’s time as Minister of State for Labour and Employment witnessed the highest level of unemployment, which KPMG says is about to hit 40%.
“Under Keyamo, universities also witnessed prolonged strikes, as ASUU proceeded on a 10 months strike in 2020 and eight months industrial action in 2021.
“Keyamo clearly failed as a minister but grew wealthier in the process through his so-called real estate business. He thus needs to be investigated with immediate effect.”
A boastful Keyamo said: “My assets declaration is there for all to see. Some of us don’t need government funds or patronage to get by. Whatever we do and whoever we support is out of our deep convictions.”
But Shaibu insisted that since Keyamo had boasted many times about being an EFCC prosecutor and an anti-corruption champion, he ought to be bold enough to make his asset declaration forms public to prove that he was telling the truth.
“Keyamo has one month left in his tenure as minister, which means he will need to declare his assets before the CCB next month. Let him make public his asset declaration forms, before and after office, to prove to Nigerians that he did not steal.
“The truth about Keyamo is that he is a hypocrite, a rabble-rouser who pretends to be on the side of the masses but is only after his stomach.
“He started as a disciple of the great Gani Fawehinmi but has since strayed from Gani’s ideals by serving as spokesman for a man who was an anathema to Gani and who Gani had accused of forgery and fraud-Bola Tinubu,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Editorial Board of Directors of Naija Standard Newspaper Inc USA has officially written the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, requesting for a True Certified Copy of Keyamo’s Asset Declaration Form under the Freedom of Information Act to clear the air on this matter.
In a signed letter addressed to the CCB by Samson Shoaga, the Group Managing Editor of Naija Standard Newspaper, he said: We need to establish the truth in this matter as no one is above the law. A copy of Festus Keyamo’s True Certified Copy Asset Declaration Form submitted in 2019 will reveal the fact. We have requested for this important document under the Freedom of Information Act”.
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