Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, on Monday said he had lost hope of becoming a minister after the first batch of nominees was rolled out.

Keyamo made the remark while noting that his nomination as minister was due to the “special benevolence of President Bola Tinubu.”

He said he had already packed his luggage and was about to embark on a vacation with his family before he heard of his appointment.

The former minister spoke during his screening at the Senate.

According to Keyamo, his nomination was by the grace of God, stressing that he was preparing for his vacation when he got the news of his nomination.

He said: “My being here is by the grace of God and by the special benevolence of President Bola Tinubu, I had lost hope of becoming a minister.

“I had already packed my bags for vacation with my family before I heard about my nomination as a minister. So I am happy to be here today.”

His screening was, however, suspended by the Senate over a rowdy session.

There was uproar and division among senators over Keyamo’s nomination, as most of them sought the suspension of his screening.

The lawmakers, mostly from the opposition parties, particularly asked that the screening of Keyamo, the ministerial nominee from Delta State, be stepped down pending when he clarified his past role in government, when he refused to abide by resolutions of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The nominee had appeared for screening in the Senate at around 1:30 p.m., during which he gave introductory remarks and his past records of achievements as a private and public servant.