Kemi Adeosun does the honourable thing and resigns as finance minister over NYSC forgery saga

FINANCE minister Kemi Adeosun has resigned her appointment today bowing to pressure for her to quit following the recent scandal she was involved in regarding a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate.

 

Last month, national daily Premium Times, revealed that Ms Adeosun, 51, an economist and chartered accountant, forged an NYSC exemption certificate to enable her serve in government. According to the report, Ms Adeosun’s certificate is dated September 9, 2009 and was signed by Yusuf Bomoi, a former NYSC director-general who passed away in September last year but he had stepped down from the NYSC eight months earlier in January 2009, so could not have signed it.

 

After weeks of silence, Ms Adeosun eventually spoke on the matter, saying she did not know that the exemption certificate was forged, pointing out that she got the it through a third party and was unaware of the fact that it was not genuine. However, since then, pressure has mounted on Ms Adeosun and it appears she has finally done the honourable thing and bowed out of office.

 

Given the severe nature of the allegations, Ms Adeosun's position became untenable as her job involved her being in the vanguard of the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Ms Adeosun is believed to have performed creditably over the three years she has served as President Muhammadu Buhari’s finance chief, getting government parastatals to remit money to the treasury as has never been done before.

 

Two non-governmental organisations had petitioned the inspector general of police to probe the allegations against Ms Adeosun. Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre and an anti-corruption group Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, had challenged the minister to break her silence and respond to the allegations.

 

It is believed that Ms Adeosun will formally present her resignation letter today, although she is said to still be in her office. President Buhari is almost certain to accept the resignation as the embarrassment the matter caused made a mockery of his government's fight against corruption.

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