Keyamo slams Aregbesola as “minister of public holidays, prison breaks”

In a landscape commentary on Nigeria’s political landscape, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, SAN, has taken aim at several prominent politicians vying for influence ahead of the 2027 elections, including Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, whom he derisively described as the “Minister of Public Holidays and Prison Breaks.”

Both Festus Keyamo and Rauf Aregbesola served served as ministers under the Buhari administration.

Keyamo served as Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Aregbesola, as Minister of Interior.

However, in the recent political coalition Aregbesola has been named as the interim National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), aiming to build a strong political alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement profiling what he sarcastically called “a new breed of politicians” positioning themselves as agents of change, Keyamo questioned the legacy of Aregbesola and others, arguing that their long careers in government have yielded little in terms of transformative progress.

Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State (2010–2018), also served as Commissioner of Works in Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and as Minister of Interior under the Buhari administration from 2019 to 2023.

But Keyamo dismissed his ministerial record, reducing it to ceremonial duties and crises, saying, “He was the minister of public holidays and prison breaks.”

The jibe was a reference to a string of high-profile jailbreaks during Aregbesola’s time in office, as well as the largely symbolic nature of public holiday declarations, which often fell under his ministry’s purview.

While not directly accusing Aregbesola of wrongdoing, Keyamo implied that his tenure lacked substance and impact, suggesting that politicians like him have contributed more to Nigeria’s stagnation than its progress.

“He is 68 years old and, like others in this so-called new breed, has been a fixture in the system for decades,” Keyamo noted.

“If democracy has failed Nigeria since 1999, those who have occupied public office all through must share the blame.”

Keyamo’s commentary appears to be part of a broader pushback against political veterans attempting to reinvent themselves as reformers ahead of the 2027 general elections.

His remarks reflect an emerging internal power struggle and a growing public impatience with political recycling in Nigeria.