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Tag: Kemi Adeosun

As certificates are no longer enough
- By Ganiu Bamgbose
Sir: In a recent Facebook post, a former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun, mentioned that she needed two persons to work with her on a project. After making a list of the hard and soft skills needed to do the job, she declared that anyone who has got any qualification between OND and PhD was qualified to apply for the job. She added that the degrees of applicants did not matter so much for the job.

In Nigeria, the 20th century was greatly characterised by “what is your qualification?”, which resulted in glorification of certification in the Nigerian workplace. This largely promoted an educational orientation where people began to chase the score whether or not there was something in the skull. It launched us into the age where degree became a craze whether or not the holder has got intellectual pedigree. Distinction became a competition among people who were hardly sure about their life direction. The number of first-class graduates became a selling point for universities during convocation, and the credibility of secondary schools and A Level centres became the number of A’s in their students’ WAEC results and the 300ish scores in UTME.

Permanent changes in behavioural pattern which should be the ultimate evidence of learning did not matter anymore. It became a case of “show me your score and I shall tell you the type of student that you are”.

Having been a lover and proponent of functional education all my life, my conviction for the need to prioritise performance over certificate got strengthened when I sought a job as an editor in a publishing firm in Ibadan during my doctoral programme at the University of Ibadan. A friend had told me of an opening at a publishing house in Bodija, Ibadan, and I got a chance to take the editor’s test in this company owned by an American woman who was also the lead editor. She marked my test and told me to resume the following week.

After some months, I curiously asked why she did not ask to see my certificates and in her words she said “Your certificates are none of my business. I look for people who can do my work and I employ them once I find out they are capable.”

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I have since this time seen the need for competence over qualification, and performance over certification. It is not my intention to downplay the need for schooling or formal education. I simply want to posit that school should foreground its core essence which is the advancement of beneficial and practical knowledge, not merely degrees and titles which make everyone wants to add “Dr” to their name and list honours like menu list.

Going forward, school and education must help people think critically. Any form of education that does not train the mind to be inquisitive, contemplative and evaluative cannot be said to be functional. Second, school and education must prepare anyone to act creatively. The final stage of learning is application so whatever form of knowledge that does not grow people’s ability to create things that can be used in the real world even while still in school is insignificant. Third, school and education must prepare people to survive in a rapidly changing world. This means that we must grow beyond culinary education which dishes out mundane and pedestrian curricula. Educational contents must be designed in terms of what they translate to in society and what they help the possessors do in the real world.

It is my hope that this piece speaks to the mind of young Nigerians to prioritise knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which qualify them to be problem solvers, over the mere pursuance of grade and certificates.

•Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD,

Lagos State University, Ojo.
January 14, 2026
Kemi Adeosun: My resignation as Finance Minister not admission of wrongdoing

•Says powerful enemies used NYSC certificate row to get rid of her

Former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has given her most detailed account of the circumstances that led to her resignation from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet in September 2018.

She said the decision was taken to safeguard the integrity of the Office of the Minister of Finance and to allow her to defend her name through the courts.

Adeosun spoke on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, where she addressed the controversy surrounding her exemption from the National Youth Service Corps and the political consequences that followed.

According to her, stepping aside was a conscious choice rooted in principle rather than an acknowledgement of fault.

She explained that remaining in office while pursuing legal action against the government would have placed both her and the institution she represented in an untenable position.

“People kept asking why did I resign? That no one resigns as minister of finance as I did,” she said. “I still think it was the right thing for me to do.”

She described the moment as one that demanded clarity of values, insisting that the responsibilities of the finance portfolio could not be reconciled with the personal task of clearing her name. “My resignation is a matter of principle and not an admission of wrongdoing. It was a step to protect the Office of the Minister of Finance and defend my reputation,” Adeosun said. “I can’t be attending local and international meetings as minister of finance, and also appearing in a court in a case of integrity and reputation.”

The former minister added that the idea of suing the government while serving as a senior cabinet member was inappropriate. “I knew I would need to go to court to clear my name, and doing so was not compatible with being Minister of Finance representing Nigeria at the highest level,” she said.

Adeosun recalled personally informing President Buhari of her decision. “I went to see Mr President, and I said, ‘Mr. President, I need to go. I need to go to court because I have to clear my name,” she recounted. According to her, the President agreed with the course of action and supported her decision to seek legal redress. “These names are leased from our children and our grandchildren. You don’t destroy your name because you want to stay as minister,” she added.

In July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Adeosun was ineligible to participate in the NYSC scheme. The court held that under the 1979 Constitution, which was in force at the time of her graduation, she was not a Nigerian citizen either when she graduated or when she turned 30, the age threshold for the scheme.

Adeosun graduated from the University of East London in 1989 at the age of 22. Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who presided over the case, ruled that the constitution did not require her to present an NYSC certificate or any academic certificate as a condition for ministerial appointment. The court further held that her appointment as Minister of Finance was neither illegal nor unconstitutional despite the absence of an NYSC certificate.

The suit, filed in March 2021 by the law firm of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), on her behalf, also addressed the issue of citizenship. The court ruled that because the 1979 Constitution did not recognise dual citizenship, Adeosun could not be considered eligible for the NYSC scheme at the time. By the time Nigeria’s laws permitted her citizenship status to revert, the court noted, she was already well above the age limit for participation.

Beyond the legal and political controversy, Adeosun used the interview to reflect on policy debates, particularly the issue of fuel subsidy removal and the current tax reforms. She maintained that the policy of fuel subsidy was unsustainable and widely understood as such within the government.

“There was no minister who did not know that subsidy was killing us,” she said, pointing to the distortions created by subsidised fuel prices and Nigeria’s porous borders. “We had consumption figures of about 65 million litres per day with only about 10 million cars. It was not possible.”

She argued that subsidy payments drained resources that could have been deployed for development. “Money spent on subsidy is money you can spend on roads, education or health,” Adeosun said, while cautioning that reforms must be accompanied by long-term solutions to cushion citizens. “You need structural solutions, not just palliatives, to help people absorb policy changes.”

On tax reform, Adeosun spoke candidly about the resistance finance ministers often face. “When you’re Minister of Finance, the word ‘no’ becomes your watchword,” she said. “If your finance minister is loved by everybody, they’re probably not doing much of a job.”

She defended initiatives such as the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme, which sought to bring wealthy individuals and large corporations into the tax net, and praised the current administration for advancing data harmonisation across government agencies.

“I was excited when I saw moves to harmonise data,” she said. “We’ve had TIN, NIN, BVN—too many numbers. Once you harmonise data, it becomes very difficult to hide.”

According to her, integrated data systems, combined with technology, make it easier to identify those benefiting from public resources without meeting their tax obligations. “Once you have data, and with AI, you can see very quickly who is not playing the game fairly,” she said.

Adeosun also touched on insecurity, describing it as a deeply rooted problem that requires sustained effort. She recounted a traumatic personal experience during her tenure, when her home was invaded, and she was robbed at knifepoint. “It was extremely scary,” she said. “I never slept in that house again.”

Despite such experiences, she expressed cautious optimism about current efforts to address the crisis. “Insecurity didn’t start overnight, and it won’t end overnight,” she said. “But what matters is that there is now a clear will to tackle it.”

Away from public office, Adeosun has focused on social impact through DashMe Stores, a charity initiative she founded in 2021. She revealed that the organisation has raised more than ₦500m to support vulnerable people and orphanages across the country.

“We started in 2021 with one store. We’re now on our fifth store and expanding,” she said. DashMe currently operates one outlet in Abuja and three in Lagos, with a fifth scheduled to open in Abeokuta next month. Plans are also underway for expansion to Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory.

She explained that the model relies on local partnerships in areas where her team cannot be physically present. “In each of those places, we rely on partners to work with us, and we’re seeing no shortage of people willing to get involved. They like what we’re doing. They like helping,” she said.

Adeosun stressed that DashMe operates strictly as a not-for-profit venture. “Cumulatively, we’ve raised over ₦500m from our stores and partnerships, and that is exactly how much has gone out,” she said. “I don’t get paid. The only people who are paid are the shop staff. Everything else goes back into helping people.”

According to her, the organisation has built about four orphanages from scratch, refurbished several others and taken over abandoned projects, including one that had been left unfinished for more than four decades. “Children’s lives are unstable enough without landlords issuing quit notices,” she said. “They deserve to be in their own homes.”

She also spoke of setbacks, including the vandalisation of an orphanage under construction shortly before Christmas. “It was painful, especially because it was pointless,” she said. “But we’ll soldier on and complete the project.”

Read Also: Nigeria condoles Switzerland over deadly New Year Ski Resort Fire

On poverty, Adeosun argued that the challenge is global rather than uniquely Nigerian. “Every country has a metric for classifying poverty,” she said, noting that large populations naturally produce high absolute numbers. “Because of our numbers, there will always be a core of poverty that remains.”

She insisted that the true measure of progress lies in social mobility. “What matters is whether people are able to move from poverty into the middle or lower-middle class,” Adeosun said. “The worst kind of poverty is generational poverty, where generation after generation remains poor with no social mobility.”

Education and enterprise, she said, remain the fastest routes out of deprivation, often creating ripple effects as individuals support extended families and communities.

Adeosun concluded with a broader reflection on citizenship and governance, arguing that societal progress often begins outside government. “Government never starts anything. People start, and the government takes it over,” she said, recalling how many social institutions in other countries began as citizen-led initiatives.

Recounting an experience where DashMe offered to refurbish a state-run orphanage, only for officials to promise action themselves, she added, “It’s the people that lead the government. One of our challenges in Nigeria is that we expect the government to lead the people. It should be the other way around.”

January 3, 2026
Why I walked away as Finance Minister – Kemi Adeosun

Former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has given her most detailed account of the circumstances that led to her resignation from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet in September 2018.

She said the decision was taken to safeguard the integrity of the Office of the Minister of Finance and to allow her to defend her name through the courts.

Adeosun spoke on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, where she addressed the controversy surrounding her exemption from the National Youth Service Corps and the political consequences that followed.

According to her, stepping aside was a conscious choice rooted in principle rather than an acknowledgment of fault. She explained that remaining in office while pursuing legal action against the government would have placed both her and the institution she represented in an untenable position.

“People kept asking why did I resign? That no one resigns as minister of finance as I did,” she said. “I still think it was the right thing for me to do.”

She described the moment as one that demanded clarity of values, insisting that the responsibilities of the finance portfolio could not be reconciled with the personal task of clearing her name. “My resignation is a matter of principle and not an admission of wrongdoing. It was a step to protect the Office of the Minister of Finance and defend my reputation,” Adeosun said. “I can’t be attending local and international meetings as minister of finance, and also appearing in a court in a case of integrity and reputation.”

The former minister added that the idea of suing the government while serving as a senior cabinet member was inappropriate. “I knew I would need to go to court to clear my name, and doing so was not compatible with being Minister of Finance representing Nigeria at the highest level,” she said.

Adeosun recalled personally informing President Buhari of her decision. “I went to see Mr. President, and I said, ‘Mr. President, I need to go. I need to go to court because I have to clear my name,” she recounted. According to her, the President agreed with the course of action and supported her decision to seek legal redress. “These names are leased from our children and our grandchildren. You don’t destroy your name because you want to stay as minister,” she added.

In July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Adeosun was ineligible to participate in the NYSC scheme. The court held that under the 1979 Constitution, which was in force at the time of her graduation, she was not a Nigerian citizen either when she graduated or when she turned 30, the age threshold for the scheme.

Adeosun graduated from the University of East London in 1989 at the age of 22. Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who presided over the case, ruled that the constitution did not require her to present an NYSC certificate or any academic certificate as a condition for ministerial appointment. The court further held that her appointment as Minister of Finance was neither illegal nor unconstitutional despite the absence of an NYSC certificate.

The suit, filed in March 2021 by the law firm of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, on her behalf, also addressed the issue of citizenship. The court ruled that because the 1979 Constitution did not recognise dual citizenship, Adeosun could not be considered eligible for the NYSC scheme at the time. By the time Nigeria’s laws permitted her citizenship status to revert, the court noted, she was already well above the age limit for participation.

Beyond the legal and political controversy, Adeosun used the interview to reflect on policy debates, particularly the issue of fuel subsidy removal and the current tax reforms. She maintained that the policy of fuel subsidy was unsustainable and widely understood as such within the government.

“There was no minister who did not know that subsidy was killing us,” she said, pointing to the distortions created by subsidised fuel prices and Nigeria’s porous borders. “We had consumption figures of about 65 million litres per day with only about 10 million cars. It was not possible.”

She argued that subsidy payments drained resources that could have been deployed for development. “Money spent on subsidy is money you can’t spend on roads, education or health,” Adeosun said, while cautioning that reforms must be accompanied by long-term solutions to cushion citizens. “You need structural solutions, not just palliatives, to help people absorb policy changes.”

On tax reform, Adeosun spoke candidly about the resistance finance ministers often face. “When you’re Minister of Finance, the word ‘no’ becomes your watchword,” she said. “If your finance minister is loved by everybody, they’re probably not doing much of a job.”

She defended initiatives such as the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme, which sought to bring wealthy individuals and large corporations into the tax net, and praised the current administration for advancing data harmonisation across government agencies.

“I was excited when I saw moves to harmonise data,” she said. “We’ve had TIN, NIN, BVN—too many numbers. Once you harmonise data, it becomes very difficult to hide.” According to her, integrated data systems, combined with technology, make it easier to identify those benefiting from public resources without meeting their tax obligations. “Once you have data, and with AI, you can see very quickly who is not playing the game fairly,” she said.

Adeosun also touched on insecurity, describing it as a deeply rooted problem that requires sustained effort. She recounted a traumatic personal experience during her tenure, when her home was invaded, and she was robbed at knifepoint. “It was extremely scary,” she said. “I never slept in that house again.”

Despite such experiences, she expressed cautious optimism about current efforts to address the crisis. “Insecurity didn’t start overnight, and it won’t end overnight,” she said. “But what matters is that there is now a clear will to tackle it.”

Away from public office, Adeosun has focused on social impact through DashMe Stores, a charity initiative she founded in 2021. She revealed that the organisation has raised more than ₦500m to support vulnerable people and orphanages across the country.

“We started in 2021 with one store. We’re now on our fifth store and expanding,” she said. DashMe currently operates one outlet in Abuja and three in Lagos, with a fifth scheduled to open in Abeokuta next month. Plans are also underway for expansion to Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory.

She explained that the model relies on local partnerships in areas where her team cannot be physically present. “In each of those places, we rely on partners to work with us, and we’re seeing no shortage of people willing to get involved. They like what we’re doing. They like helping,” she said.

Adeosun stressed that DashMe operates strictly as a not-for-profit venture. “Cumulatively, we’ve raised over ₦500m from our stores and partnerships, and that is exactly how much has gone out,” she said. “I don’t get paid. The only people who are paid are the shop staff. Everything else goes back into helping people.”

According to her, the organisation has built about four orphanages from scratch, refurbished several others, and taken over abandoned projects, including one that had been left unfinished for more than four decades. “Children’s lives are unstable enough without landlords issuing quit notices,” she said. “They deserve to be in their own homes.”

She also spoke of setbacks, including the vandalisation of an orphanage under construction shortly before Christmas. “It was painful, especially because it was pointless,” she said. “But we’ll soldier on and complete the project.”

On poverty, Adeosun argued that the challenge is global rather than uniquely Nigerian. “Every country has a metric for classifying poverty,” she said, noting that large populations naturally produce high absolute numbers. “Because of our numbers, there will always be a core of poverty that remains.”

She insisted that the true measure of progress lies in social mobility. “What matters is whether people are able to move from poverty into the middle or lower-middle class,” Adeosun said. “The worst kind of poverty is generational poverty, where generation after generation remains poor with no social mobility.”

Education and enterprise, she said, remain the fastest routes out of deprivation, often creating ripple effects as individuals support extended families and communities.

Adeosun concluded with a broader reflection on citizenship and governance, arguing that societal progress often begins outside government. “Government never starts anything. People start, and the government takes it over,” she said, recalling how many social institutions in other countries began as citizen-led initiatives.

Recounting an experience where DashMe offered to refurbish a state-run orphanage only for officials to promise action themselves, she added, “It’s the people that lead the government. One of our challenges in Nigeria is that we expect the government to lead the people. It should be the other way around.”

January 2, 2026
Former Minister Kemi Adeosun pays tribute to late President Buhari

Former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun on Tuesday expressed her condolences and shared memories of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The heartfelt tribute reflected her deep respect for Buhari and the significant impact he had on her life and career.

In her statement, Adeosun fondly recalled how Buhari affectionately referred to her as “Maikudi,” a term meaning “the one that handles money or a rich person.”

In her touching tribute, Adeosun expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve under Buhari’s leadership, describing it as her “greatest honour.” She noted that working alongside him was not only a professional privilege but also a personal pleasure, showcasing the deep admiration she holds for the late president.

READ ALSO: Aiyedatiwa assigns portfolios to newly sworn-in Ondo commissioners

Her tribute concluded with a heartfelt farewell, stating, “Good night, Your Excellency. Rest in Peace, Sir.” She signed off with her nickname, “Maikudi,” further conveying the enduring bond they shared.

This tribute adds to the outpouring of grief and appreciation for Buhari, as many Nigerians reflect on his contributions to the nation and the legacy he leaves behind.

July 15, 2025
I was shocked JAMB could generate N9bn – Oloyede

… says Mrs Kemi Adeosun expected N300m from board

The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board(JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede has declared that a sustained war against corruption and corrupt practices could free the nation’s resources for rapid investment and development.

Oloyede said he was particularly shocked that the examination board, JAMB, could generate as much as N9bn into the coffers of the federal government, an indication of how far the nation could go if corruption tide is stemmed.

The JAMB Registrar disclosed this on Tuesday while delivering the 10th convocation lecture of the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State.

Oloyede recalled that when the then Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, called him on phone to say the board should be able to generate N200m or N300m, he said he was initially frightened because of the past record of JAMB on remittance.

Speaking on the convocation lecture titled: “For Whom Much Is Expected, Enough Should Be Given: Making A Case For Nigerian Teacher,” he identified corruption as one strong impediment to having sufficient resources to move the country forward.

He said: “In terms of corruption I have seen how very wicked we are against one another in this country. I don’t even respect many people with big cars because I have information about them.

“After my appointment, the Minister of Education called me and said from information available you should be able to generate N500M for the federal government.

Read Also: Oloyede: When leaders walk the talk

“The former Minister for Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun who is also from Ogun State also called me and said your office should be able to give us N300M or N200M. I was really wondering how this was going to work given the past record of JAMB.

“I am however surprised that JAMB had N9bn left for the federal government. In fact, I could not sleep, I will again go and check to ensure there were no error anywhere. Look at what this huge amount will do to our economy.”

He said this informed why he was of the strongest view that the ongoing fight against corruption must be sustained and supported by all Nigerians to get things working again in the country.

Prof Oloyede described President Muammadu Buhari as man with untainted integrity whose commitment to fighting corruption remained undoubted and should therefore be supported to return the country to path of sanity and progress.

The former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin described teachers in the country as the worst paid in the world urging government at all levels to address this deficiency for greater efficiency and productivity as no nation rises above its investment in education.

He said: “Education is everything as without it there is nothing. It appears evident that we may continue to drift on uncharted seas as long as society pay pittance to its moulders, the teachers. It is high time we paid attention to the goose that lay the golden eggs because for whom much is expected, enough should also be given”.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu. disclosed that the institution produced 2,723 graduands at its 10th convocation including 256 postgraduate degrees in various disciplines.

Arigbabu added that of the graduands, 23 of them made the First class list.

November 27, 2018
Shittu attends FEC meeting

The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu was also among cabinet members who attended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.

He arrived at the Council Chamber around 10.45a.m decked in Igbo traditional outfit of black and gold coloured ‘Ishiagu’ top with red, white and black coloured cap to match.

Before going to his seat, he spent a lengthy time discussing with the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu and later Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu.

Shittu, who also attended FEC meeting last week, exchanged pleasantries with other colleagues as he made his way to his seat.

Most of them made one remark or the other on his special outfit.

The meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari started around 11.01a.m at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja with the rendition of the National anthem.

Opening Muslims prayer was said by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri, while the Christian prayer was offered by the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.

Recall that three weeks ago, Shittu and the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, were disqualified from participating in the Oyo and Taraba states governorship primary elections, respectively, under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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While Shittu was disqualified for not taking part in the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, Alhassan was disqualified over issues of loyalty to APC. Alhassan had immediately resigned from the cabinet.

Shittu was also said to have failed to present any NYSC exemption certificate to the APC screening committee.

The immediate past Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had also resigned from the cabinet due to fake NYSC exemption certificate presented to get the job.

October 17, 2018
Shittu attends FEC meeting

The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu was among cabinet members who attended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari started around 11.08a.m at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A fortnight ago, Shittu and the immediate past Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, were disqualified from participating in the Oyo and Taraba states governorship primary elections, respectively, under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While Shittu was disqualified for not taking part in the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, Alhassan was disqualified over issues of loyalty to APC.

Shittu also failed to present any NYSC exemption certificate to the APC screening committee.

While disqualifying him, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, had stated: “He (Shittu) admitted that he did not do the mandatory NYSC as provided for under the law and in his own judgment, his being a member of the House of Assembly in the state and now as a Minister of the Federal Republic, that these were enough sacrifices. But for us as a party we know that NYSC is a mandatory scheme.

“It is not something you may elect to do or abstain from doing and my understanding of the NYSC Act is that no employer of labour is permitted to employ anyone who graduated under 30 years and who did not obtain an exemption for reasons as provided for in the NYSC Act.

“So, for us, not participating in the NYSC raises very serious moral issue as well as legal issue.

Read Also: Buhari receives 1042-pages achievement compendium at FEC

“After interviewing him, we were convinced that….for our party, there are clear lessons we need to learn from our recent past when people…anyway, we were convinced that if he did not do NYSC, that for us, was enough to disqualify him and we had to find the courage to do so.

While Alhassan had immediately resigned from the cabinet, Shittu arrived for the first FEC meeting after his disqualification around 10.56a.m.

He exchanged pleasantries with his colleagues before taking his seat.

President Buhari called for rendition of the opening National anthem at the FEC meeting around 11.08a.m

Opening Muslims prayer was said by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed , while the Christian prayer was offered by the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu

Recall that the immediate past Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had resigned from the cabinet due to fake NYSC exemption certificate presented to get the job.

Her ignorance of the status of the certificate she had presented could not save her from losing her seat in the cabinet.

October 10, 2018
Kemi Adeosun: An alternative view

UNTIL FRIDAY, September 14, Folakemi Adeosun (nee Oguntomoju), was Nigeria’s erudite and piquant-witted Minister of Finance. Kemi Adeosun (as she is popularly known) is as mannerly, almost inimitably brilliant, talking as though she once kissed the proverbial Blarney Stone in Scotland, as she is stunningly prepossessing, her face bedecked by inviting dimples and a touch of innocence belying her acute intelligence. Whenever she addressed the press in or outside Nigeria, my pride as a Nigerian knew no limit as she would talk as though her only drink on earth was pure honey! But, most unfortunately, whereas good things in Nigeria never last, the bad and the ugly enjoy immortality.

So ‘Kemi Adeosun resigned from the Muhammadu Buhari-led cabinet on that fateful day, September 14, and her resignation was gingerly accepted with the promptitude and the alacrity of a practised acrobat! It took six months to scout for her in 2016; it took less than a week to replace her in 2018!

The journey to her painful disgrace from the federal cabinet started when Premium Times, bayed that ‘Kemi landed state and federal government jobs in Nigeria without undergoing the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and that the exemption certificate she allegedly procured from the NYSC secretariat was fake.

Now, let’s look at Kemi’s history, in a nutshell. She was born in the United Kingdom in 1967; she was raised (bred and nurtured) in that country. She graduated from the Polytechnic of East London (later University of East London) in 1989 at the age of 22. In England, where she was born and raised, there is no English equivalent of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme; so, she started working in Chapel Hill, Denham, in England, upon graduation, there being no such law (express or otherwise) in Nigeria that any Nigerian citizen, born, bred and trained outside Nigeria must come home to undergo the one-year NYSC programme before returning to his country of birth. She was in the country of her birth and training until 2002, when she was 35, before coming to Nigeria in response to the strident calls by Nigeria’s federal and state governments on expert Nigerians in the diaspora to “come home and help develop your motherland.”

Before coming home at age 35, unsuspecting ‘Kemi, in all probability, procured the services of some Nigerian consultants to work out for her an NYSC exemption certificate, which was most unnecessary as she was past the NYSC age.

When she came home to Nigeria at age 35, no sensible interpreter of sections 12 and 13 of the NYSC Act (now section 315 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered) under “Existing Laws”, would insist that ‘Kemi should show evidence of her National Youth Corps Service. That would even be like asking my son, who was nurtured and trained up to the university and post-graduate levels abroad and who, in obedience to the promptings of patriotism, may decide to come back to his fatherland at age 40 or above to help develop his country of origin, being asked to show evidence that he underwent the NYSC programme! And if an unsuspecting Nigerian, still in the diaspora, inadvertently procured the services of an “Oluwole company” (which abound in Nigeria) to help him/her get an NYSC exemption certificate, which was even unnecessary in ‘Kemi Adeosun’s case, (she was 35 when she came back to Nigeria), the onus of proof of the genuineness of such a certificate should rest squarely on the shoulders of the individual/company which procured it. Otherwise, we would require a London-based Dr. Hussein Adegboye Okechukwu, 50, born and trained in London as a specialist oncologist, to apply for the NYSC exemption Certificate to come back to help develop his fatherland!

A 35-year-old person is no longer a youth as far as the NYSC Act, 2004 is concerned.

The rudiment of Criminal Law is the maxim, “Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea” (an act does not make the doer of it guilty, unless the mind that did it be guilty; that is, unless the intention be criminal, the act itself isn’t. The intent and the act must both occur to constitute the crime. Why then, by the light of heaven, would Folakemi Adeosun, with a hifalutin litany of professional qualifications, forge an NYSC exemption certificate at 35 to serve her fatherland?

I wish to heaven that someone would show me in any extant or even dated law where it is stated that a Nigerian, born and bred abroad, and who underwent the crucible of primary, secondary and tertiary education abroad must come back to Nigeria, his/her country of origin, to do the national youth service before getting employment abroad if he/she would ever work in Nigeria! For how then do we explain the importunate appeals by successive federal and state governments to highly qualified Nigerian technocrats born, trained and resident abroad to “come home and help develop your fatherland”? When such experts come home, do Premium Times and other Nigerian crucifiers expect them to show evidence of national service?

Section 2 (1) (b) (d) of the NYSC Act, 2004, which provides that corps members who “shall have graduated at any university outside Nigeria to make himself available for service” does not refer to Nigerian students in diaspora (such ‘Kemi Adeosun) but to Nigerian students who left Nigeria to study abroad.

In all probability, poor ‘Kemi Adeosun was subjected to this infernal embarrassment to prove the Urhobo aphorism that the earthworm navigates its way through the softest part of the soil! ‘Kemi Adeosun is not a thick-skinned, corrupt and nepotic Nigerian politician who would remain glued to her seat in spite of all the odds against her.

There are, in both federal and state cabinets, countless Nigerian technocrats with noisome skeletons in their cupboards and who will never bat an eyelid in their cesspits of misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance even if the heavens fell. Here is an acutely intelligent dove whose only “offence” was that she omitted to serve the NYSC scheme at 35 and/or that the needless exemption certificate procured for her by some identifiable slyboots was fake. Thank heavens that ‘Kemi Adeosun was not accused of not having or of forging her academic or professional certificates!

Folakemi Adeosun’s harried exit from the Muhammadu Buhari-led cabinet is painful, excruciatingly painful!

Akiri is a Lagos-based attorney.

September 24, 2018
Time Adebayo Shittu threw in the towel

COMMUNICATIONS minister, Adebayo Shittu, shocked Nigerians last week when he argued that his election into the Oyo State House of Assembly in 1979 exempted him from the mandatory one-year youth service scheme. His interpretation of the NYSC Act, particularly the grounds for exemption, does not do justice to his training as a lawyer. The Act stipulates four grounds for exemption; Mr Shittu met none in 1979 when, according to his own claim, he deliberately evaded service. The minister’s status as a ‘draft dodger’ became newsworthy after Finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, resigned her appointment for presenting a forged NYSC exemption certificate.

Mr Shittu proudly boasts that his self-exemption is morally superior to Mrs Adeosun’s forged exemption. It is hard to see how. There is not enough proof that the former Finance minister knew that the certificate she presented was forged. But after investigations showed conclusively that it was a forgery, she promptly resigned her appointment. There are suggestions she should have resigned after the story first broke. Perhaps. But the lateness does not mitigate the redemptive value of her resignation.

Mr Shittu on the other hand knowingly evaded the scheme, and continues to insist implausibly that he has done no wrong. NYSC officials have corroborated reports indicating that the exemption claimed by Mr Shittu is unknown to law. They restated the widely held opinion that the minister erred very badly in evading the one-year service and determining by himself that his election as a lawmaker was a good enough substitute.

It needs no investigation to kick Mr Shittu out of the cabinet. He has owned up to evading the scheme, and his legal arguments, if they can be so called, fall flat. His claim of exemption is inexcusable. Yes, he can still serve, if he is persuaded that his legal arguments are supercilious. But it must not be as a cabinet member in the Buhari government. It is important to make the point first that such an errant behaviour will not be tolerated under any guise. And for invoking an offensive and mocking sleight of hand to justify his grave misjudgement, the minister does not deserve the sympathy of President Muhammadu Buhari who must make the point unambiguously that such exasperating behaviour would not be condoned.

If Mr Shittu does not have the good sense to relinquish his position, the president should make an example of him by kicking him out. It is inconceivable that the president will deem his minister’s offence as a minor one, one not sufficient enough to rouse his displeasure. Let the president walk his anti-corruption talk now if he wants to be taken serious.

September 23, 2018
Kemi Adeosun: A post mortem

Was the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, culpable in the events that led to her forceful resignation last week? Did her tale tally with the high expectations one had accorded her considering her education, training and upbringing? Should we blame her travails on presumed ignorance or on the callous vindictiveness of the political titans that left her in the sun to dry? Or was Adeosun a victim of her own delusory air of self-importance as an untouchable in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, going by the intricate web of intrigues that brought her into office? The answers to these posers are varied, depending mostly on the mindsets of the respondents. However, what is not in doubt is the fact that the cockney-speaking woman was a victim of the high-wired politics which we play here. She must have stepped on the proverbial banana peel and someone simply flashed the red card that eventually sent her packing. And, as it happened in many other cases before hers, it must be someone who knew how to send her crashing like a pack of cards.

Until that exclusive report by Premium Times regarding the authenticity of the National Youth Service Corps’ ‘Exemption Certificate’ bearing her name, Adeosun was cruising at a dizzying speed with noticeable sartorial elegance and aplomb. Who wouldn’t? At an age considered to be relatively young, her resume was no less stunning. In a country where her equally educated mates were still scrambling and hoping for a miraculous breakthrough amidst dwindling economic fortunes, Adeosun was privileged to be among the lucky few whose palm kernels were cracked for them by the gods. Educated in England, the Ogun State indigene’s return to Nigeria after 34 years abroad was blessed with rapid upward flight and rare opportunities. Armed with relevant degrees in Accounting and financial management coupled with international experience at the highest level as a Managing Director, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State poached her from Quo Vadis Partnership to help in the management of the state’s finances as Commissioner of Finance. That was in 2011. A position she held until 2015 when Amosun influenced her appointment as Minister of Finance amid clear misgivings from certain circles of political influence.

Be that as it may, Adeosun settled down in spite of the difficulties that confronted her in an economy that was grinding into recession. No doubt, she ruffled some feathers, stepped on powerful toes and did show signs of weakness at other times. Conscious that she was stepping into the big shoes left by her immediate predecessor, the inimitable Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, it was not impossible that Adeosun would have overreached herself in the discharge of her duties especially when she took the unpopular decision to stop the payment of certain allowances to workers in the ministry and implemented sundry policies aimed at blocking the gaping financial wastages in the system. Buffeted by ceaseless interrogation from the two chambers of the National Assembly and allegations of paying illegal sums to agents involved in the repatriation of a $320m Abacha funds from a Swiss bank, Adeosun’s resoluteness in addressing every issue raised during her stewardship as a serving Minister of Finance was never in doubt. Her voice, diction and comportment marked her out as someone who knew exactly what she was doing. She was always vociferous in reeling out figures to debunk claims of an economy in the doldrums. Whether we believed her or not, she was a slave to her convictions and was never shy of making that clear.

However, it was a wicked twist of fate that when the news broke that Adeosun procured a fake NYSC ‘Exemption Certificate’ to enable her qualify to work in government, first as Commissioner in Ogun State and as Minister of Finance in the Federal Government, her loud silence was, to say the least, discomfiting. The woman, who was known for speaking with eloquence and poise as many strained their ears to comprehend whatever she was spewing, simply went dumb. For more than two months, she became tongue-tied. Her boisterousness disappeared. She killed us with her silence. And that silence adumbrated the cacophonous search for the truth. Did she actually procure a fake certificate knowing full well that that it would be a sacrilegious thing to do? Did she actually have a degree in Economics from the University of East London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Financial Management from the University of London? Did she qualify as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1994 as recorded in her resume? In fact, did she work in all those top grade firms before coming to Nigeria to hoodwink us with her ‘strange’ pitch?

The tragedy in the Kemi Adeosun saga is not that she reluctantly resigned or that she was persuaded by moral suasion to do so. If that were the case, she would have done so immediately she realized that what she was parading as an exemption certificate was not worth the price of the paper used in wrapping ‘akara’ and ‘eko’ by Mama Sikira. The real irony lies in the fact that she succumbed to the usual scam of procuring the services of a third party to carry out a responsibility which she ought to have done herself. As it is common with silver spoons here, the little that seem immaterial always end up being their Achilles Heel Come to think of it, the NYSC has embedded in its laws a window of opportunity for the likes of Adeosun to legally work in the public service even if they didn’t observe the one-year compulsory community service. And so, it beats one hollow to understand why the young lady, who was already a Managing Director in Quo Vadis before being pulled to the upper scale as a commissioner, didn’t find it more ennobling to approach the management of the NYSC instead of opting to engage one of the corporate agberos who are adept at cutting corners and toeing the short cut to eventual perdition. Was it sheer pride or the belief that money answers all questions in Nigeria?

Let me say this: those gloating over Adeosun’s disgraceful exit at the zenith of her career miss the point. Of course, she was neither a saint nor the devil’s incarnate. In office, she was a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. Her office exposed her to the sharks from different angles including the hawks at the National Assembly who are never tired of baying for blood and employing the swift drivel of blackmail to put their targets on the lower rung of their captive proclivities.

Question is: which out of all these is the unseen hand behind Adeosun’s fall? Could it be true that those who helped her to pad her collection of certificates with the fake NYSC Exemption paper actually sacrificed her following a sour relationship? If the controversial paper scaled all the security checks at both the state and national levels, do we assume that some force of authority was deployed to cover the fact or do we take it that the security agencies never carried out any due diligence checks on the paper beyond what they could see with their eyes? If political pressure was wielded as being suggested in some quarters, can we unveil the face behind that power? Could it be the same persons that eventually exposed the upwardly mobile woman to this national and global ridicule?

Today, it is Adeosun. Tomorrow, it could be someone else. And no matter how we spin it, it is manifestly clear that her imminent fall was the outcome of an intriguing power. Yes, what she did was despicable and condemnable. It cannot and it should not be excused on her claim to ignorance. But we lie if we say it is not the norm in the public service. As I write this, there are countless citizens proudly parading fake documents of one hue or the other and using such to earn a living in both the public and the private sectors. The same systemic failure that makes it possible for the eagle-eyed detectives at the Department of Security Service to ‘certify’ Adeosun’s exemption letter as genuine is at the heart of the malady plaguing us as a nation. And the narrative will not change until such a time when we stop glorifying confirmed failures in our public and private lives. Or what kind of system allows a West African School Leaving Certificate holder with ‘F9 parallel’ to insist on the resignation of a qualified chartered accountant with a Masters’ degree and requisite experience just because of a fake NYSC exemption letter? And is it not high time we insisted on a reframe of the laws setting up a scheme that has outlived its relevance, anyway? With numerous Nigerians being born abroad and returning home after exceeding the age limit for NYSC, shouldn’t the law be made to reflect the changing times or must we insist on pushing them to procure exemption certificates still?

September 22, 2018