Sahara Reporters has taken to it’s official X handle and announced that, A scandal of seismic proportions has rocked Nigeria’s aviation sector, as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, stands accused of abusing state resources and bypassing official protocols to fly an American lover, her mother, and associates into Nigeria aboard a private jet—completely sidestepping immigration checks.
According to explosive revelations obtained by SaharaReporters, Zainab—a multilingual U.S. citizen of Yemeni and Congolese-Ugandan heritage—disclosed that her romantic entanglement with Keyamo began at a United Nations event in New York on September 21, 2023. What began as a casual photo request by an aide quickly spiraled into an intimate relationship that would see her entire family relocated across continents under dubious circumstances.
“He came to our home in New York on September 30. He offered to relocate me and my family to Nigeria to help manage his properties,” Zainab revealed, adding that Keyamo promised job placements for her relatives.
Despite lacking valid Nigerian visas, Zainab and her family were reportedly encouraged to obtain Emergency Travel Certificates (ETCs) instead—an unusual and controversial route. Their journey from New York on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET513 took them to Uganda via Addis Ababa. Keyamo allegedly advised the detour, citing his travel plans during the Christmas period.
From November 13 to December 22, 2023, the group resided in upscale Ugandan hotels including Imperial Mall Residence and Mbale Resort Hotel, with room rates soaring up to $400 per night. The entourage—estimated at 12 to 15 people—was pampered with convoys of security vans, local maids, and bouncers. All bills, Zainab claimed, were paid for by the minister.
“We didn’t spend a kobo of our own. He sent money regularly—even our housemaid in New York got paid by him,” she said.
Arrival in Nigeria Through the Presidential Wing
On December 22, a private jet reportedly belonging to a prominent Nigerian mogul transported Zainab and three companions—Balinda Ndagire J. Hislaire, Nsubuga Douglas, and Rambo Prinston Hakim—from Kampala to Abuja. They landed not at a regular airport terminal, but at the presidential wing, bypassing immigration and customs altogether.
“No passport checks, no security. We just walked out. Everything had been cleared before landing,” Zainab told SaharaReporters.
A senior aide to Keyamo confirmed that the entire operation—estimated at nearly $20,000—was funded not personally, but from the Ministry of Aviation’s budget.
“The generator, furniture, electronics—everything in their Abuja home was brand new, and all paid for with ministry funds,” the aide alleged.
Zainab recounted how she was instructed to obtain ETCs through the Ugandan Embassy, using her mother’s ancestry to fast-track documentation when delays arose from the Congolese side.
“The minister broke every aviation and immigration protocol you can think of,” she said. “From travel documents to immigration clearance—it was all handled behind the scenes by his aides.”
Their one-month visa expired, but no action was taken. “When I raised concerns about overstaying, he assured me that being in charge of aviation, he could ‘sort it out,’” she added.
When contacted, Festus Keyamo denied any wrongdoing, claiming Zainab was his sister’s friend who had once attempted to blackmail them.
“I’m not familiar with all these details. She was my sister’s friend, and tried to blackmail us about a year ago,” he said.
His sister Ruth insisted the family came to Nigeria lawfully for their mother’s medical treatment and denied any use of government funds.
“I sent you proof of the hospital payments, raised through family and friends. No government account was involved,” she claimed.
However, when pressed for proof of her connection to Zainab, Ruth could not produce a photo of their mutual friend Rosemary, claiming she had died. Zainab, meanwhile, maintained that she met Ruth only after relocating to Nigeria—on Keyamo’s instructions.
“I can’t imagine what they’re trying so hard to cover up,” Zainab said. “Where is this mysterious Rosemary? If I had never been to Nigeria before, how could I have known Keyamo’s sister?”
Efforts to obtain a response from the Nigeria Immigration Service were unsuccessful. They have yet to explain how an entire group could enter the country—via the presidential wing—without the standard visa process or immigration scrutiny.
As calls mount for an official investigation, critics argue that this scandal epitomizes the brazen impunity with which some government officials operate—flaunting rules, squandering public funds, and weaponizing power for personal pleasure.
Whether Keyamo will face accountability remains uncertain, but what is clear is that this scandal has cracked open a window into the extravagant and clandestine corridors of Nigeria’s elite.
PIONEER NEWS 