Festus Keyamo; What a ‘Gobbler’! by Taiwo Lawrence Adeyemi

Festus Keyamo is named after his uncle who died of suspected poisoning at the age of 12. His father, Mathias Keyamo, had promised to name his first child after the deceased. Keyamo was raised as Jehovah’s witness.

One of his most vivid childhood memories is of him preaching from house to house in a pair of Cortina shoes and speaking to a crowd at religious conventions.

He was not allowed any extracurricular activity and was forbidden from speaking to girls even as a secondary school student. He earned a reputation as a future lawyer during his evangelizing days.

Born in Ughelli, Delta State of Nigeria on Wednesday, January 21, 1970 by a father who hails from Uvwie L.G.A, near Warri, in Delta State and a mother from Yewa South L.G.A in Ogun State.

He is the third child and first son in a family of seven children. Festus Keyamo attended Oharisi [Model] Primary School, Ughelli, 1975 to 1981, Government College, Ughelli, 1981 to 1986 and proceeded to his Higher School Certificate [HSC] course in the same school.

Before he completed his HSC course, he gained admission through JAMB in 1988 into Bendel State University, [now Ambrose Alli University [AAU] Ekpoma, in Edo State, and obtained his LL.B degree [Second Class Upper] in 1992. He was called to the Nigerian Bar on December 15, 1993.

He began his legal career in 1993 at Gani Fawehinmi’s Chambers in Lagos State, southwestern Nigeria. He was counsel to the leader of the Niger-Delta Peoples’ Volunteer Force, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari in his trial for treasonable felony.

Lead counsel in the treason trial of Ralph Uwazuruike, the leader of the Movement For The Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra [MASSOB] and Olugbenga Adebayo, popularly known as Fryo, who was arrested in connection with the murder of former attorney-general and minister of justice, Bola Ige.

The most controversial case was the one involving Olugbenga Adebayo aka, Fryo. Olugbenga Adebayo said that Keyamo did that in order to feather his professional nest and boost his legal career. The former prime suspect, who was later discharged and acquitted, after being remanded in prisons for some time by the court, denied confessing to Keyamo that he killed Ige or knew his killers.

He was reportedly said to have confessed to knowing the killers of the late justice minister before allegedly withdrawing his statement in court. Speaking on a radio programme monitored in Osogbo, Fryo said, “Keyamo took me to the police station. He told me to write. I was in the office of one police officer. I did not do anything that should make people call me prime suspect and Keyamo also know this, only that he used me and my situation to boost his legal career because no one knew him [Keyamo] before Ige was killed.

“I did not confess to him [Keyamo] that I killed Bola Ige. He took advantage of the incident and my predicament. He used me to make name. Whatever you [Keyamo] do, you will reap. God will deal with Keyamo.”

“Through prayers and mercy of God that I received, Prince Adeyemo, a lawyer stood for me. During this period, my family deserted me and later returned. Keyamo planned to imprison me. May my generation suffer if I know anything about Bola Ige’s death.” When asked what he knew about Ige’s murder, Fryo insisted, “Keyamo framed me up. I don’t think anybody is responsible for it [Ige’s murder].”

A new twist entered the investigations into the murder of Attorney General and Justice Minister, Chief Bola Ige, as police in Lagos arrested, Mr. Festus Keyamo. A release signed by Keyamo and written shortly before he was taken away by the police reads, “as long expected, I have just been arrested on the orders of the Inspector General of Police by two policemen, Haruna Gabriel [DSP] and Sylvanus Edet [ASP] both from Adeniji-Adele Police Station.

They came at about 5.15 pm to my office at Maryland Shopping Complex, Lagos. They are also taking along my younger brother, Mr. Lucky Keyamo. They came with a white Prado Jeep number. AA 30 DKD.”

In 2009, a Lagos High Court was told how Festus Keyamo chased out his wife, Irene Isioma and two children from her matrimonial home. Festus Keyamo is the petitioner in the matter before Elfreda Dawodu-Williams of the probate and Family Division of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, where Festus Keyamo is king the court to compel his wife to allow him change their children’s school among other issues.

In 2017, Festus Keyamo was awarded the Global Human Rights Award by the United States Global Leadership Council in Washington for his efforts over the years in respect of protection and promotion of human rights and the crusade for accountable governments in Nigeria.

In April, 2018, Keyamo was appointed as the Director of Strategic Communications [Official Spokesperson] of the 2019 re-election bid of the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari.

How has this Jehovah Witnesses member with strict biblical and Christian principles background whose religious tenets abhor participation in military and politics, catapult himself to become President Muhammadu Buhari, director of strategic communications [official spokesperson] for 2019 re-election? Festus Keyamo is a key figure in the Nigeria polity who had battled and accused military and past administrations of corrupt practices.

Will and can Festus Keyamo’s name be inscribed in the Nigeria Hall of Fame, taken into cognizance President Muhammudu Buhari’s administration penchant for harassment of Journalist’s by the security agencies with impunity? The country is witnessing the most-blood soaked trails in her history as a nation.

The closure of US Embassy, Abuja is a pointer to the loss of faith in President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of security situation in Nigeria. Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal described President Muhammadu Buhari, “as having health challenges, sick, unfit & unhealthy, and that President Muhammadu Buhari administration is being ruled and run by cabals!”

Nigeria former Minister of Education and Activist, Oby Ezekwesili has described President Muhamadu Buhari’s medical trip as an embarrassment to the country and the cost of those medical trips abroad remains shrouded in secrecy.

She said, “This is actually annoying in the light of all we have seen of President Muhammadu Buhari’s choices and actions. In life, don’t get to the point where ‘What you are doing is so loud that others cannot hear what you are saying’. Our President and his FG are sadly there now. Shame.”

Nigeria’s ‘Stranglers of her Economy’ still roam freely and are in the corridors of governance and government. It will be an uphill task for Festus Keyamo re-branding President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of 2019 re-election. Except the Ekiti State July 14, 2018 governorship elections ‘show-of-shame’ – ‘vote-buying’ scenario is enacted. Festus Keyamo had come out with a statistics, analytical, algorithm, demographic and info-graphics predictions of states that will be captured by All Progressive Congress [APC] in 2019.

2019: The battle line is drawn………