April 30, 2025 | Abuja, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is facing serious allegations of misconduct involving the illegal entry of his American lover and her family into Nigeria, facilitated through the use of a private jet and allegedly funded by public money.
Reporters exclusively gathered from Zainab, the American woman at the centre of the scandal, and a senior aide to the minister, that Keyamo orchestrated the relocation of Zainab, her Congolese-Ugandan mother, and others from New York to Nigeria, using both diplomatic influence and questionable funding sources.
Zainab recounted meeting Keyamo at a UN event in New York in September 2023. Within weeks, he visited her home, promising to relocate her family to Nigeria. Despite her mother’s lack of a valid visa, Keyamo allegedly insisted they travel quickly using an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC).
On November 13, 2023, Zainab and her family left New York, arriving in Uganda through Addis Ababa. Their month-long stay in Uganda, reportedly costing over $10,000, was entirely covered by Keyamo, including luxury hotel stays, transportation, and domestic staff.
On December 22, 2023, a private jet—reportedly owned by a Nigerian billionaire—was used to fly Zainab and others into Nigeria via the presidential wing of the Abuja airport, bypassing all standard immigration checks. Zainab claimed they “just walked out” without any security screenings.
A senior aide confirmed the trip, accommodations, and relocation expenses—estimated at nearly $20,000—were funded by the Aviation Ministry’s budget, not Keyamo’s personal finances. Their Nigerian residence was allegedly outfitted with new furnishings and electronics, also paid for with ministry funds.
Keyamo dismissed Zainab’s account, calling her a blackmailer and claiming she was only known as his sister’s friend. However, inconsistencies emerged in his sister’s response regarding immigration documentation and funding sources.
Zainab stood by her story, accusing the minister of skirting aviation and immigration procedures. She highlighted that upon arrival, neither she nor her family went through formal immigration, and their passports were stamped unofficially.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has yet to comment on the reported breach of entry protocols.
As public attention grows, calls for accountability and a formal investigation into the allegations have intensified.
