Why I gave up up hope – Keyamo tells Senate

A ministerial nominee from Delta State, Festus Keyamo, expressed his surprise at being nominated by President Bola Tinubu to serve in the Federal Executive Council of the current All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), spoke during his ministerial screening at the Senate on Monday.

Having previously served as the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Keyamo expressed his gratitude to Tinubu for considering him worthy to serve in his cabinet.

Addressing the lawmakers, Keyamo said, “I attribute my appearance here today to the grace of God and the special benevolence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I want to say a special ‘Thank You’ to him for giving me this rare opportunity to serve.”

He further shared a personal anecdote, saying, “In fact, when my name was announced on this floor last Friday, my bags and baggage were already packed for a short vacation. I had given up hope of being here when all of a sudden, they said my name has been announced.”

However, Keyamo’s screening session ended in a rowdy session as lawmakers were divided over his nomination, with some calling for the suspension of the exercise.