Festus Keyamo, SAN, apologised to the Senate on Monday evening over his failure to honour invitations by the relevant legislative committee overseeing the Ministry of Labour and Productivity where he had served as a minister under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Channels Television reported that, this followed a rowdy session at the Senate during his ministerial screening earlier in the day where Senator Darlington Nwokocha (Abia Central) accused Keyamo of disrespecting the Ninth National Assembly and accusing the last Assembly of being corrupt.
The former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity extended an apology “without reservation” and provided additional context.
He addressed the Senate with a more somber tone than before, saying, “Maybe it was as a result of the lack of knowledge of the fact that this matter had long been resolved between us and the members of that committee.”
“There were afterwards other hearings, including budget defense and other matters, which we attended in a friendly environment. So there is no hesitation in the apologies. My apologies.
Nwokocha had earlier attempted to put Keyamo’s ministerial screening on hold.
The senator claimed that Keyamo declined an offer to discuss a Special Public Works initiative during the Buhari administration.
In response to the concerns that had led to his summons, the attorney said that all payments made to beneficiaries of the public works program were made directly to them by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He added that the registry including the beneficiaries’ names, account numbers, and Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) was kept at the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and that it could be checked.
The chairman of the labor committee in the Ninth Senate, Senator Godiya Akwashiki of Nasarawa North, made a plea to the Senate to permit Keyamo to bow and go after offering an apology.
The resolution to accept Keyamo’s apologies was made by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), and when the Senate approved it, the ministerial nominee left the chamber.
All 48 of the president Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the cabinet were interviewed in their final round at Keyamo’s screening.
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