A ministerial nominee, Festus Keyamo, SAN, arrived the Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday, for asset declaration oath.
Mr Keyamo, who arrived at Court 11, located at the 3rd Floor of the building, at about 3. 02 p.m., headed straight to Justice Nkeonye Maha’s office with some documents in his hand.
The human rights activist came to the court with five other men, who waited for him inside the court.
After about 15 minutes in Maha’s office, Mr Keyamo came out to join the men.
When the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) approached him, he said he was not disposed to granting interview, as the team later entered the elevator to the 1st Floor of the building; where they went into another office.
After some minutes, some journalists, who were already waiting for him, asked him why he was at the court.
Mr Keyamo, who was about to board his black Toyota Land Cruiser positioned at the court’s premises, said: “Please, I am sorry, I won’t be able to say much, because I am in a hurry to submit my asset declaration form at the CCB before they close for the day.”
A reliable source at the court, however, confirmed to NAN that the lawyer came to swear to an affidavit in respect of his asset declaration certificate.
Mr Keyamo was, however, seen driving out of the Federal High Court at about 3. 41pm.
Chapter 6, Part 1, Section 149 of the Nigerian Constitution, says a minister of the government of the federation shall not enter upon the duties of his office, unless he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution.
Mr Keyamo, who was one of the 43 ministers nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari, appeared before the Senate for ministerial screening on July 26.
While fielding questions from the senators during the exercise, the nominee from Delta State, said he would ‘unbundle’ the Supreme Court and decongest Nigerian prisons if he was made the next Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) or Minister of Justice.
Mr Keyamo, who was the spokesperson of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign organisation in the last general election, was one of the 43 ministers sent in as nominees by the president.
Mr Keyamo answered questions ranging from the workings of the Supreme Court to the many existing political parties.
When asked the major reforms he will like to see in the justice sector, he said he is prepared to work in any sector the president deems fit “but if made the Attorney General of the Federation, he will work with the idea of 3Ds”.
The ‘Ds’, are the decongestion of the Supreme Court, decongestion of the prisons and decongestion of courts across the country “and that will be the courts linked directly to speedy trials”.
“I will unbundle the Supreme Court. I will decongest the cases that go up to the Supreme Court, that will be my first task.
“Our Supreme Court is the busiest Supreme Court (in the world). The kinds of cases that go up to our Supreme Court are scandalous, appeals dealing with frivolous matters.
“I think this country is big enough now to have six regional Supreme Courts where appeals coming from those regions will end there. Land matters, contract matters, marriage and all of that.
“As the Supreme Court is designed today, you won’t believe that a case of assault, ‘I slap you, you slap me’, goes up to the Supreme Court and (will) be lining up with political and constitutional matters to be heard – which is why cases in Supreme Court have been pending for the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.
(NAN)
