A heated session took place in the Senate on Monday when Senator Darlington Nwokocha moved a motion to suspend the ministerial screening of Festus Keyamo.

Senator Darlington Nwokocha, representing Abia Central Senatorial District, accused Festus Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th National Assembly as then Minister of State for Labour and Productivity.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia-South Senatorial District, quickly seconded Nwokocha’s motion, leading to a divided voice vote among the lawmakers.

Nwkocha and Abaribe moved the motion citing section 88B to mandate the Senate to step down the screening of Keyamo for “publicly ignoring summons from the national assembly”.

As the house went into a rowdy session shortly after the Point of Order raised, the Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele called for a closed-door session.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, visibly concerned by the escalating situation, announced the move to enter a closed session.

Senator Darlington Nwokocha accused Fesus Keyamo of disrespecting the 9th National Assembly and accusing the previous Assembly of corruption.

The allegations were related to Keyamo’s actions during his tenure as Minister of State for Labour and Productivity in the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Nwokocha highlighted that during the Buhari administration, Keyamo was invited to explain a Special Public Works program but failed to attend the invitation.

The Senator emphasized the need for ministers to be accountable to Nigerians and the Senate, which holds oversight responsibilities over the executive arm.

The Special Public Works program, overseen by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under Keyamo’s ministry, was aimed at recruiting 1,000 youths from each of the 774 local governments, paying them N20,000 each for three months.

The project had caused a disagreement between Keyamo and the lawmakers who accused him of taking over the programme from the NDE.

On June 30, 2020, members of the national assembly walked Keyamo out of the senate after he refused a closed-door meeting with the lawmakers.

The lawmakers had said nobody from their constituency benefitted from the scheme.

However, Keyamo responded by accusing the lawmakers of trying to blackmail him and hijack the SPW exercise, adding that the “beneficiaries are not from the moon”.

Public Account Committee launched a probe into the matter, but Nwokocha claimed that Keyamo evaded the committee’s invitation, alleging that the Senate wanted to control the process.

Keyamo, the last nominee from President Bola Tinubu’s 48-man ministerial list, appeared before the Senate on Monday afternoon after another nominee, Mariya Mahmoud.

Before the commotion, Keyamo expressed gratitude to Tinubu for his ministerial nomination, revealing that he had lost hope of joining the Federal Executive Council under the new President.

Watch the video below:

Festus Keyamo was disgraced at the NASS today during his Ministerial clearance and he sat there like a doll staring at these senators picking on his flesh.

Their anger is that, during the Buhari administration, Keyamo was invited to explain a Special Public Works programme his… pic.twitter.com/Lff7Qbi3mb

— A Distinguished Field Marshal ⚡️ (@General_Oluchi) August 7, 2023

Rowdy session where Festus Keyamo was asked to step down from screening him as minister nominee. Sandalili sandalili pic.twitter.com/6Q2dX2l1yp

— ÓMÒÉLÉRÍNJÁRÉ (@omoelerinjare) August 7, 2023

Festus Keyamo never expected it! pic.twitter.com/8LRKW7ICY5

— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) August 7, 2023

KanyiDaily recalls that Festus Keyamo played a vital role as a spokesperson for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council during the electioneering process leading to the new administration.

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