Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s former finance minister, has told a television interviewer that “powerful enemies” used the controversy over her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate as an opportunity to force her out of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet. Her comments were given in an interview for Channels Television’s Inside Sources programme, excerpts of which were aired as part of a news bulletin on Thursday ahead of the full interview on Friday.
Adeosun NYSC certificate and her decision to resign
Adeosun said she resigned in 2018 after being accused of presenting a forged NYSC certificate as part of her credentials. She told the programme that, before stepping down, she went to see President Buhari to explain the situation and to tell him she intended to initiate legal proceedings against the federal government to clear her name.
“I’m not confused about the fact that I had powerful enemies who I believed saw an opportunity. Let’s get rid of her,” Adeosun said. She added that she could not remain in the cabinet while suing the government, and that resigning was the proper course of action. “You can’t be suing the government and staying in the government. You can’t. You have to go,” she told the interviewer.
The former minister said Mr President expressed support for her decision. She recalled telling him she would go to court to defend her reputation and that continuing as a minister while pursuing litigation against the state would be untenable.
The NYSC controversy has followed Adeosun for years. In 2018, amid the allegations, she tendered her resignation as finance minister. Supporters argued at the time that the accusations were politically motivated and aimed at ending her tenure in a high-profile economic post.
In July 2021 a federal high court in Abuja delivered a partial victory for Adeosun. Judge Taiwo Taiwo granted a declaration that she could not be subjected to any penalty or forfeiture in relation to her occupation because of the NYSC certificate issue. The judgement also stated that Adeosun had no obligation to produce her NYSC certificate in order to hold public office in Nigeria. The court did not, however, rule on whether the certificate was forged.
Legal experts and observers said the case raised broader questions about the documentation required of public officials and the legal avenues available when allegations of misconduct arise. Critics of the government at the time argued the episode revealed factional battles within the administration and the use of administrative controversies for political ends.
For Adeosun, a former accountant who led Nigeria’s finance ministry through a period of fiscal challenges, the episode remains a defining moment of her public career. Her recent interview underscores both her insistence on pursuing legal clarity and her belief that political rivals seized on the controversy to remove her from office.
The matter continues to be discussed in Nigerian political circles as an example of the tensions between political survival, public accountability and the right of officials to contest allegations in court. Adeosun’s account offers a personal perspective on how such disputes can unfold at the highest levels of government.
Key Takeaways:
- Former finance minister Kemi Adeosun says “powerful enemies” used the NYSC certificate controversy to force her resignation in 2018.
- Adeosun told Channels Television she informed President Buhari and decided to sue the federal government while stepping down from the cabinet.
- In July 2021 a federal high court ruled she cannot be penalised in relation to her occupation over the NYSC matter, though the ruling did not address the alleged forgery.
- The episode highlights tensions over public office credentials and legal recourse for senior officials in Nigeria.
