US assets: Atiku’s aide asks EFCC to probe Keyamo’s finances

Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate,  Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, to publish his asset declaration form.

Shaibu’s request followed Keyamo’s claim on Twitter that he purchased a home in the United States legally.

The minister was reacting to a claim that he acquired a US home for over $300,000 shortly after his appointment in 2019.

He wrote: “By letters dated March 6, 2019 (long before I was appointed a minister and immediately I was appointed a board member of the NDIC), and in line with our constitution, I wrote to the relevant government agencies, informing them of the closure of my foreign account(s) and the repatriation of my funds to the country.”

However, in a statement on Sunday, Shaibu charged the National Assembly to publish a report on a job scheme initiated by the Federal Government in the 774 local government areas of the country and overseen by Keyamo.

He also asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the minister’s finances.

He said: “With his open confession that he has acquired houses in the US, 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.

READ ALSO: Keyamo responds to queries of how he acquired properties abroad

“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 percent.

“Under Keyamo, universities also witnessed prolonged strikes, as ASUU proceeded on a 10 months strike in 2020 and eight months of 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.

“Keyamo has one month left on 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.”

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