Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of hypocrisy over his criticism of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Keyamo said Atiku’s comments on Nigeria’s economic difficulties and insecurity were inconsistent with his record in government, particularly his tenure as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, had criticised the Tinubu administration over the rising cost of living and insecurity, saying many Nigerian families were struggling to afford basic necessities while citizens continued to live in fear of kidnapping and other attacks.
Reacting in a post on his X handle, Keyamo focused on the aviation sector, accusing Atiku of failing to address the plight of former Nigeria Airways workers following the liquidation of the national carrier in 2004.
According to the minister, the then Obasanjo administration, in which Atiku served as vice-president, liquidated Nigeria Airways, leaving thousands of workers without their entitlements.
Keyamo said the workers’ pensions and gratuities, which he claimed ran into billions of naira, remained unpaid for years.
He said the Tinubu administration had since taken steps to address the issue, including the release of N36 billion to settle outstanding entitlements owed to former Nigeria Airways workers.
“Your Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, this is hypocrisy at its peak! Let me just talk only about the sector that I head, Aviation,” Keyamo wrote.
He added that many of the affected workers had died while waiting for their entitlements, claiming that the funds released by the Tinubu administration had started reaching beneficiaries.
Keyamo further accused Atiku of attempting to distance himself from decisions taken by the Obasanjo administration when politically convenient, while taking credit for the administration’s achievements at other times.
“Yet you sit down there and pontificate? It’s only the younger ones who don’t know your history you can attempt to hoodwink, but we will expose you to them,” he said.
The minister also accused the former vice-president of attempting to disguise his political ambitions through what he described as “rhetorical gibberish.”
Keyamo’s comments come as political activities and positioning intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Atiku and other opposition figures stepping up criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and handling of insecurity.