Senate in another rowdy session as it suspends Keyamo’s screening

The Senate on Monday was thrown into another rowdy session over the screening of Festus Keyamo, as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after Senator Darlington Nwokocha of the Labour Party dugout his past over the engagement of 774,000 persons for public works

Keyomo who was Minister of State for Labor, Employment and Productivity, under former President Nuhammadu Buhari administration had engaged in a shouting match with members of National Assembly joint committee on Labor over the membership of the 20-man selection committee.

keyamo had blackmailed the lawmakers of attempting to highjack his duty as minister the.

Consequently, the Senate had asked the federal government to halt the program pending when it was properly briefed on implementation modalities. 

The suspension of his screening on Monday however, was due to a motion moved by Darlington Nwokocha, a lawmaker representing Abia central when Keyamo appeared before the lawmakers.

According to Nwokocha, Keyamo who was Minister of Labour and Employment under former president Muhammadu Buhari ignored the summon of parliament in 2020 over the employment scheme of 774,000 Nigerians recruited for the special public works programme.

Senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, backed Nwokocha’s motion to step down Keyamo’s screening.

When Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, put the motion to a voice vote there was no clear outcome.

The development saw the Senate dissolved into a closed session to resolve the issue, with the media asked to leave the gallery.

Meanwhile, minutes after the rowdy session, the Senate President dashed to the Presidential Villa.

It is believed that the Akpabio heading to the Villa could be connected to what happened during the screening of Keyamo on the floor of the Senate.

On Friday, 4 August 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu nominated Keyamo, as minister.

Keyamo’s nomination was announced in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during plenary.

His nomination came after the submission of the second batch of ministerial nominees by Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday, 2 August.