By Collins Adaka

In the complex theatre of Nigeria’s political landscape, few names resonate as strongly as Festus Keyamo. From his early days as a fiery human rights lawyer to his current position as a central figure in strong national governance, Keyamo has built a reputation as a man who speaks boldly, fights fiercely, and thrives in turbulent spaces. Such is the man called Hon. Festus Keyamo (SAN).

For over two decades, his voice has echoed in courtrooms, political rallies, television studios and cabinet meetings. Whether you love him or hate him, Keyamo has mastered the art of staying relevant in Nigeria’s ever-shifting power dynamics. His early years were marked by fiery legal battles against military authoritarianism and in the early 1990s when many Nigerians feared speaking out, Festus Keyamo stood tall and audacious filing suits, granting interviews, and representing political detainees.

This aforesaid boldness earned him a reputation as a “people’s lawyer”, although, it also brought clashes with powerful forces.

As Nigeria transitioned from the military to civilian rule, Keyamo effortlessly crossed the bridge from activism to politics. He once declared in a national television that “I have never been afraid of power, I believe power should be questioned and held accountable.”

Keyamo’s legal activism and media presence naturally drew him into national conversations on governance and justice.

Over the years, he became an influential voice in political debates, defending or challenging policies with equal fire.

However, his defining political leap came when he joined the campaign team of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections.

His sharp tongue and media savvy made him one of the most visible faces of the campaign and in the process, earning him a place in the federal cabinet as Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Later Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development under Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In this wise, one of the first major steps he took in his effort to reposition the industry was to relocate the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) headquarters from Abuja to Lagos.

But this inevitable move within his first one year in this ministry gathered severe opposition as some said he wanted to marginalise the North. Justifying the move, he said the movement of the FAAN headquarters would, every year, save the government and the people of Nigeria half a billion naira wasted on Air tickets by officials who have to commute from Lagos to Abuja and back. He said “You see them flying every day to- and -fro Abuja to get one file signed they fly back and forth everyday. In one year, they spend close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450m on flight ticket alone!” He accomplished that move, thereby saving taxpayers money.

Even at that, the first major achievement came when he ensured that the Aviation Working Group, AWG, removed Nigeria from its watchlist of non-compliant countries under the Cape Town Convention’.

This particular move, according to many Industry professionals, was a big and huge win, given that international lessors had unofficially blacklisted the Country. After the signing of the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation, DERA, by the Minister and Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo; there was an improvement in Nigeria’s Compliance Score on the Cape Town Convention. Significantly, the score rose from 49 percent to 70.5 percent and eventually 75.5 percent placing the country, inevitably in the high category.

Today, Nigerian Operators are free to dry lease aircraft, as lessors’ confidence in their ability to repossess aircraft in case default has increased.

In Aviation Circle, a dry lease refers to an arrangement where only the aircraft is provided by the lessor, while the lessee handles crew, insurance, and maintenance. This ultimately differs from the more common wet leases, which include crew and full support. For an industry that has suffered from capacity cut, the ability to dry lease aircraft would be a major boost, which may even result in drop in fares. If fares drop significantly, Nigeria would have one man to thank and that man is Festus Keyamo, who is assiduously pursuing Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda with Vigour and Vitality. Whether admired or criticised, Festus Keyamo has already etched his name in Nigeria’s contemporary political history. From defending democracy in the 1990s to helping shape policy in the 2020s, his journey mirrors the evolution of Nigeria’s political culture. For a man who has spent his life in the ring of law and politics, Olorogun Festus Keyamo is not just standing, but he is still Swinging.

•Adaka can be reached via [email protected]