In Nigeria, it is not always a common thing to see a minster speak against his superior, the President.
But all of that is changing, as the scarcity of the naira tear relationships apart.
The love between the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Fastus Keyamo, and President Muhammadu Buhari, is heading south in a high velocity.
But in some civilised countries, a minister will gladly resign when the policies of the government he represents no longer tally with his beliefs and ideals.
Inaccurate Advice
A Senior attorney in Nigeria, Festus Keyamo, had said that Buhari’s decisions were the consequence of inaccurate advice from his advisors and that he had taken them without consulting the Federal Executive Council.
That statement is now earning him some negative comments from the opposition party.
Mr. Phrank Shaibu is Atiku Abubakar’s Special Assistant on Public Communications.
Now, he is asking Mr Keyamo, to resign from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, as a way to express his displeasure with with Buhari’s decision to put the cashless policy into effect.
This was mentioned by Shaibu in a statement on Saturday, February 19, 2023.
It was a response to Keyamo’s claim that President Buhari erred by defying a Supreme Court judgment when he said that only the old ₦200 note is legal tender.
He says he honestly believes the President made a mistake.
A Hypocrite
Probing further into Mr Keyamo’s comments, Shaibu pointed out that Keyamo had previously justified Buhari’s choice to defy court orders on the basis of national security.
As a result, he labeled Keyamo a hypocrite.
Shaibu stated: “Keyamo should be bold enough to condemn the President and resign just as some ministers usually resign in the United Kingdom when they don’t agree with the Prime Minister’s action.
“If he wants to criticise the President, let him do it boldly with his full chest instead of attacking some unnamed advisers of the President and portraying the President as a helpless old man who does not have a mind of his own.
“That is a cowardly approach”.
Furthermore, he said: “To be clear, Festus Keyamo has been the Minister of State for Labour and Employment since 2019.
“Under the watch of this retired activist and erstwhile rights crusader, ASUU has spent a combined 18 months on strike in 43 months.
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Statements About Keyamo
“Keyamo never spoke up.
“In fact, he dumped ASUU at the negotiation table to go and campaign for Bola Tinubu.
“When he was confronted on national television, he asked parents to go and negotiate with lecturers.
“Suddenly, he has found his voice because of a cashless policy that will deter his new master from deploying bullion vans on election day”.
“Keyamo should quit from his position as spokesperson for the Bola Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku’s assistant further demanded.
He describes Keyamo as a man who has finally gained insight.
He asserted that it would be hypocritical for Keyamo, a former prosecutor for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to act as Tinubu’s publicist given that the latter is not only under EFCC investigation but also ordered to forfeit $460,000 to American authorities for alleged drug trafficking.
