LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- An old tweet by Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has resurfaced, sparking widespread criticism and accusations of hypocrisy on social media..
The tweet, which re-emerged after the release of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s controversial presidential pardon list, has reignited debate over Keyamo’s past stance on corruption and governance, with many Nigerians recalling his history of condemning previous administrations for similar actions.
As the list gained attention, a 2015 tweet by Keyamo, then a vocal critic of former President Goodluck Jonathan went viral. In it, he slammed Jonathan’s decision to pardon Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the ex-governor of Bayelsa State who was convicted of fraud.
“To GEJites: Give us one good reason why pardon was granted a convicted thief (Alams) when we are even looking for more ex-governors to send to jail,” Keyamo tweeted at the time.
Fast forward to 2025, Nigerians online are calling out the now-minister for his silence over Tinubu’s controversial pardon list, which includes names such as kidnap kingpin Kelvin Oniarah, who was convicted for orchestrating violent abductions and murders, including that of former Anambra deputy governor, Dr. Chukwudi Nwike.
The list also includes posthumous pardons like those of the Ogoni 9, including environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and historical figures like Sir Herbert Macaulay. However, it is the pardon of living convicts with violent histories that has left many Nigerians angry and confused.
Critics on social media were quick to dig up Keyamo’s past tweets and call out what they described as a “convenient shift in principles.”
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“It’s quite amusing, and less so, how some people lose their voice once they cross over or when they are at the dining table. I’m yet to see Festus Keyamo tweet now that his boss has done worse than Goodluck Jonathan whom he chastised in 2015 for granting a presidential pardon,” one user tweeted.
As of press time, Keyamo has yet to respond to the backlash, even as citizens continue to demand transparency and consistency from the nation’s leadership.
In a digital age where the internet never forgets, it’s a known fact that past words can quickly become present-day reckonings.
