A FEDERAL High Court, Abuja, today, cleared the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, of National Youth Service Corps certificate forgery, which resulted in her resignation in 2018.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in his ruling on the originating summon with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/303/21 brought by Wole Olanipekun SAN, on her behalf, held that the NYSC certificate based on the constitution is not a mandatory requirement for holding a political office in the country.
“I am of the view that denying the plaintiff of the relieves sought is not going to be doing justice to the matter,” she said.
The judge, therefore, granted all the four relieves sought for determination by the former minister.
Taiwo noted that the defendant stated that the Federal Government did not withdraw the ministerial appointment of the plaintiff or ask her to resign, but that Adeosun resigned on her own accord.
While Adeosun was the plaintiff in the suit, the Attorney-General of the Federation was the sole defendant.
Recall that Adeosun resigned in September 2018 over allegations she used a forged certificate to avoid the country’s mandatory one-year youth service scheme.
Adeosun, who lived in the UK until she was 34, said she had been told she was exempt because she was over 30.
The former investment banker said she was issued with a certificate that she thought was genuine.
The dual Nigerian and British national did not initially comment on the claims, leading to criticism from her opponents.
However, in a statement, she said she felt bound to resign after the investigation result became known.
“This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration’s focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign,” she had said.
Adeosun was appointed minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Her main policy was a bid to improve tax collection and crack down on mismanagement by government agencies.
The then minister of state for budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, succeeded her with immediate effect.
