Yes, I acquired foreign properties – Keyamo
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, on Saturday, explained how he acquired a house in the United States, in the wake of angry reactions to his recent online video clip showing him in the house.
Mr Keyamo shared a 14-seconds-long video clip on 20 April showing him in a white hoodie and sneakers in front of an apartment. He jogged along the walkway that partitioned the well-manicured lawns in front of the house into green squares.
The video ended with the minister turning his head back as he set the hood on his head, thumped up towards the camera, and continued jogging in short steps.
The minister, who also served as a spokesperson for president-elect Bola Tinubu’s campaign organisation during the 2023 presidential election, captioned the video to show that he was trying to keep fit while enjoying his vacation.
The video attracted criticisms with many questioning the source of the funding for the acquisition of the property. Many of the critics deplored it as the usual practice of Nigerian public officers being quick to rush abroad where security and clean environment is more guaranteed
Mr Keyamo, in another tweet on Saturday, said he posted the video as bait to his critics, whom he described as “folks of low moral standards”.
“Two days ago, I decided to bait the horde of sore losers at the last elections with a video of my vacation in ONE OF MY PROPERTIES abroad as I did a light workout. Expectedly, they fell so terribly for the bait,” he wrote.
He said he acquired a number of assets, including the one shown in the video, with proceeds of his legal practice and wise investments in real estate of over 30 years.
“So, I had a good laugh when I saw the trending issues regarding just one of my properties in the US. It is even very laughable to think that after active, high-profile practice of law culminating in my privilege as a member of the Inner Bar (together with being an International Arbitrator) and thoughtful investments in real estate spanning over 30 years, I cannot afford such a relatively modest property,” the minister wrote.
‘I made money to buy houses before becoming minister’
Mr Keyamo said he had made enough money to purchase the properties long before his appointment as a minister.
He recalled how he first made the first declaration of his foreign accounts after his appointment into the board of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
He narrated how he intimated the relevant government agencies of his intention to repatriate the funds from the foreign accounts and his later decision to buy properties with the funds. He gave indication that all the assets were duly declared to Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the statutory body empowered to receive public officers’ assets declaration forms. Premium Times
