The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has slammed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of leaving behind a “mess” regarding the defunct Nigeria Airways.
Keyamo stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is currently resolving the issues by releasing funds to pay outstanding entitlements to the former airline workers.
He recalled that in September 2004, during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration when Atiku was Vice President, the government liquidated Nigeria Airways.
The minister claimed this action threw thousands of workers out of jobs without their pensions and gratuities being paid, causing over two decades of hardship
Keyamo who made the claim in a post on his X account, accused Atiku of “hypocrisy at its peak.”
“Your Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, this is hypocrisy at its peak! Let me just talk only about the sector that I head, Aviation,” he wrote.
The minister claimed that the former workers were left to struggle for their entitlements, which he said amounted to billions of naira.
According to him, Tinubu has now taken on the debt. “Twenty-two years later, after many of them have died out of frustration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now clearing the mess you left behind.
“Over a month ago, Mr President approved and released the total sum of N36 billion to bring succour to these families. They have started receiving alerts and praying for Mr. President.
“In fact, the President was given an Award for this by the workers’ union a few weeks ago. Yet you sit down there and pontificate?
“It is only the younger ones who don’t know your history you can attempt to hoodwink, but we will expose you to them.
“You cannot disguise your inordinate ambition in a cloud of rhetorical gibberish.”
The minister also accused Atiku of picking and choosing when to own the record of the government he served in under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“When it is convenient for you, you claim some credit of the Obasanjo-Atiku government and when not convenient, you say Obasanjo was in charge and not you as Vice-President. The proper posturing of a con artist!” Keyamo said.
His comments followed Atiku’s appeal to Nigerians over the rising cost of living and insecurity, in which the former vice-president said families were struggling to afford food, healthcare, transportation and other basic necessities.
In his message, Atiku expressed concern about the difficulties confronting pensioners, young workers and parents, as well as the fear experienced by families amid reports of kidnappings and attacks across the country.
He said no Nigerian family should have to contend with hunger and insecurity simultaneously, warning against allowing the prevailing conditions to become the future inherited by the next generation.
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Atiku also urged registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), describing them as instruments through which Nigerians could peacefully demand change.
“Bola made life expensive. I will work to make life affordable again and restore the security every Nigerian deserves,” he said, calling on citizens across generations to support his vision of a country where families could live with dignity, safety and hope.
The exchange comes amid growing political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political leaders increasingly using public statements and social media to criticise their opponents and promote their policy positions.
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