Despite concerns about travel documentation as her mother lacked a valid visa, Keyamo reportedly insisted on urgency.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has been caught in the centre of a scandal involving alleged abuse of office, misuse of state resources, and breach of aviation and immigration protocols to facilitate the relocation of his American lover, her mother, and others from the United States to Nigeria through Uganda.

SaharaReporters gathered exclusive details of the operation from Zainab, the American woman involved, and a senior aide to the minister, revealing a web of luxury travel, diplomatic shortcuts, and illicit diversion of public funds.

Zainab, who holds an American passport, has a Yemeni father and a mother of Congolese descent with ancestral roots in Uganda.

She told SaharaReporters that her relationship with Keyamo began on September 21, 2023, at a United Nations event in New York, where she worked as a multilingual translator.

“I was greeting dignitaries and helping with translations when his aide approached me. He said the minister wanted to take a photo with me. The aide took my number to send me the photo, but later that day, it was the minister himself who contacted me. That’s how we started talking,” Zainab said.

Their communication intensified, and within days, Keyamo visited her mother at their New York residence.

“He came to our house on September 30, 2023. During the visit, he offered to relocate me and my family to Nigeria to manage his properties. He promised a job for my cousin, too,” she recounted.

Despite concerns about travel documentation as her mother lacked a valid visa, Keyamo reportedly insisted on urgency.

“He said we should get an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) instead of waiting. He wanted us to move fast,” Zainab said.

On November 13, 2023, Zainab, her mother, and other companions left New York aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET513 in business class, flying through Addis Ababa to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport.

SaharaReporters learned that Zainab’s mother’s seat on the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET513 was located at Zone 4, Gate 5, Terminal 7, Seat 3C.

The minister recommended that they make a stopover in Uganda due to his travel plans for the Christmas holidays, during which he would be away in the US and Dubai.

Zainab explained further why they initially went to Uganda, saying, “He didn’t want us to be stranded in Nigeria while he was away. Since my mum has roots in Uganda, we used the opportunity to visit family members she had only met on WhatsApp. He planned to join us later in Uganda, but that didn’t happen.”

Their stay in Uganda lasted until December 22, 2023. During this period, Keyamo reportedly paid for luxury accommodations at Imperial Mall Residence and Mbale Resort Hotel, where room rates were as high as $400 per night.

A convoy of hired vans, security personnel, and domestic staff supported the group, which included 12–15 people.

“All expenses were covered by the minister. He kept sending money. Even our housemaid in New York received funds from him. He paid for hotels, transport, and even the staff we hired locally in Uganda,” Zainab revealed.

She named three individuals who travelled with her from Uganda to Abuja: Balinda Ndagire J. Hislaire; Nsubuga Douglas; and Rambo Prinston Hakim.

She explained that the drivers, maids, bouncers, and other helpers were hired locally to ease their stay and were left behind in Uganda once their services were no longer needed.

“Four of us travelled from Uganda to Abuja. Those others, we hired them. It was the driver, it was the security men, bouncers, and one maid for the boy. One helper for the mum,” she said.

On December 22, Keyamo reportedly organised a private jet, owned by a well-known Nigerian business mogul, to fly Zainab and her entourage from Kampala to Abuja, bypassing standard immigration procedures.

“We landed in Abuja’s presidential wing. No immigration, no security checks. We just walked out. Everything was cleared before we landed,” Zainab said.

A senior aide to the minister confirmed to SaharaReporters that the lavish relocation was funded not from Keyamo’s personal resources, but from the budget of the Ministry of Aviation.

“The tickets alone cost about $5,000. Their Uganda stay cost more than $10,000. It’s close to $20,000 in total. All that money came from the ministry. The woman complained at one point that things were getting expensive, but Oga told her not to worry—he had it covered,” the aide revealed.

The aide further disclosed that when Zainab and her family arrived in Nigeria, their home was fully furnished with brand new appliances, generators, and household items, all allegedly paid for with public funds.

“Everything in the house was new. From the generator to furniture, water pumping machines—nothing was used. The money came from the ministry, not his personal pocket,” he added.

Zainab corroborated this claim, stating that even in Uganda, she was directed to obtain emergency travel documents through backdoor channels based on her mother’s ancestry.

“Oga (Keyamo) told me to contact the Congolese Embassy in New York for my mum’s documents, but when he realised it would take time, he told me to email the Ugandan Embassy instead. He said they’d issue a temporary travel document based on her family roots,” she said.

“The minister broke a lot of aviation protocols to take us to Nigeria. We were not checked by any immigration or security operatives. We landed at the presidential wing and left without being checked or following any protocol. I never had to go up to the counter; getting my passport stamped was always done on my behalf. Festus Keyamo’s aide did everything,” she added.

She said that although they were initially granted a one-month stay upon arrival in Nigeria, they overstayed the permitted duration while staying with Keyamo.

“My mum and my nephew, Prince, came in on December 22, 2023, and Prince left on June 5, 2024,” she said.

“I always asked him (Keyamo) things about our movements, and he always reassured us that he worked for aviation, and it would be sorted,” she said.

When contacted by SaharaReporters for comments, Festus Keyamo dismissed Zainab as a blackmailer.

“Thanks for reaching out. I am not very familiar with all the details of this situation, as she was my sister’s friend who, as I understand, attempted to blackmail us for money about a year ago. Please speak with her for more information,” Keyamo said.

His sister, Ruth, when asked about the immigration irregularities, said: “What do you mean by ‘standard’ immigration procedure? They had visas and lawfully entered the country for their mother’s treatment.”

She also denied any use of government funds. She said: “I have provided you with the actual payment details for their sick mother’s treatment, sourced from family and friends. There is no funding from any government or government account.”

Ruth claimed she met Zainab seven years ago through a friend named Rosemary. However, when SaharaReporters requested Rosemary’s contact information, Ruth said she had died. She also denied knowing about any romantic relationship between Zainab and Minister Keyamo and was unable to provide any photograph of Rosemary.

In contrast, Zainab maintained that she met Ruth through Keyamo after their relocation from the United States to Nigeria.

“I can only imagine what they’re trying so hard to cover up,” Zainab said. “Maybe the real question is—who is this Rosemary? Are there any pictures of her? Where exactly did I meet her? And how could I have met Keyamo’s sister if this was my first time in Nigeria?”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service failed to respond to enquiries from SaharaReporters regarding the secret entry of Zainab and family members.

-Sahara