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Tag: adeosun

  • NYSC Certificate Scandal: Why we are yet to arrest Adeosun —Police

    The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has explained why it is yet to apprehend nor investigate the embattled Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, over an allegation of possession of forged exemption certificate of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    Recall that an online news outlet Premium Times recently exposed that the minister forged her exemption certificate despite graduating at the age of 22.

    Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, spokesman of the security agency, Mr Jimoh Moshood, disclosed that no one has formally come forward to lay a complaint against her.

    According to him, police cannot start acting based on allegations on the pages of newspapers or the internet.

    “There must be a complaint, either written or verbal to us. You must write to a divisional police station or the Commissioner of Police or to the Inspector-General of Police; we have not received any complaint, so we can’t investigate it (allegation of forgery),” the spokesman said.

    Asked if the media reports of the allegation were not sufficient for the police to initiate a probe, the Mr Moshood said police detectives could not initiate an investigation based on newspaper reports.

    He insisted on a written or verbal complaint to the police, noting that this was the basis for all police investigations.

    “I have not read the report of what you said was published in newspapers. As I said, we can’t investigate the allegations until there is a verbal or written complaint against her (the finance minister),” the police explained.

    However, two non-governmental organisations had reportedly petitioned the IG to probe the allegations against Adeosun.

    Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre, and an anti-corruption group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), had challenged the minister to break her silence and respond to the allegation.

     

     

  • Photos: Osinbajo, Adeosun, others inspect Abeokuta flood

    Photos: Osinbajo, Adeosun, others inspect Abeokuta flood

    Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has arrived Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, for the on-the-spot assessment of last week Friday’s flood in which no fewer than eleven lives were lost and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who was recently embroiled in NYSC certificate scandal and has been avoiding public glare was also on the Vice President’s entourage.

    The helicopter that brought them to the capital city touched down at the Oke Mosan, Governor’s office arcade at 4.30pm.

    The Vice President and his team were received by the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, some cabinet members and security chiefs.

     

    Details later…

  • Kemi Adeosun must clear air over alleged forged NYSC certificate – SERAP

    Kemi Adeosun must clear air over alleged forged NYSC certificate – SERAP

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, to without further delay show responsibility and clear the air over the damaging certificate forgery allegations against her and settle the facts of the case once and for all.

    The organization said, “Suspicions of certificate forgery involving a senior member of the government if not urgently and satisfactorily addressed would weaken public trust in the government’s oft-expressed commitment to transparency and accountability.”

    Several days after being accused of forging her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate, Mrs Adeosun is yet to make any official statement in reaction to the alleged scandal.

    In a statement on Sunday by SERAP’s deputy director, Timothy Adewale, the organization said, “Clarifying the allegations of certificate forgery would show a commitment to doing the right thing, and a natural disposition toward openness. The continuing failure and/or refusal to speak to Nigerians on these allegations amounts to a betrayal of public trust. If she can show the courage to clear the air on the allegations, Mrs Adeosun can be a strong promoter of the values of transparency and accountability, something which the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has regularly expressed commitment to embrace and achieve.”

    The organization said, “The failure to address the allegations may create public anger and lead to accusation of cover-up. The public can become passive and cynical if it believes that people in position of public trust are out for themselves. It is the core responsibility of any senior public official to prevent that cynicism.”

    According to the organization, “When those in position of public trust refuse to speak up on allegations bordering on certificate forgery, it invariably creates a psychological climate, a moral culture in which citizens are more likely to embrace illegal actions and choose to undertake them.”

  • JUST IN: Amid raging certificate forgery scandal, Adeosun wins bank board chair election

    The Embattled Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has been elected chairperson of the board of the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) amid a raging certificate scandal.

    The bank, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, has been meeting in Abuja .

    Recall that an online news portal, Premium Times had last week reported that the minister forged the exemption certificate of the National Youths Service Corps, (NYSC) despite graduating at the age of 22.

    Adeosun will be succeeding the outgoing chairman of the Bank and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Rwanda, Ndagijimana Uzziel. The position has a one-year tenure.

    The paper also showed that the minister’s exemption certificate, which she has worked for years with, is unauthentic.

    Mrs Adeosun has yet to comment on the findings, and the federal government too has kept mute.

    Under the Nigerian law, certificate forgery is a criminal offence punishable by either a term of imprisonment or fine.

  • Presidency clears air on visit by Bakare, Adeosun to Buhari

    The Presidency has dismissed media reports that Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly and Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, met together with President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja, on Friday.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, said the stories on the visits by the Minister and Pastor Bakare were far from the truth.

    The Presidential aide stated Adeosun was at the presidential villa in connection with the Annual General Meeting and 25th Anniversary Celebration of African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) holding on Saturday in Abuja, which would be graced by President Buhari.

    He said the minister ran into Pastor Bakare, who was on a scheduled visit to see the President, and they exchanged pleasantries.

    The statement read: “Stories with insinuations are making the rounds that Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly and Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, met together with President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja, Friday. Far from the truth.

    “The Minister was at the Presidential Villa in connection with the Annual General Meeting and 25th Anniversary Celebration of African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) holding Saturday in Abuja, which would be graced by President Buhari.

    “She ran into Pastor Bakare, who was on a scheduled visit to see the President, and they exchanged pleasantries. The cleric particularly thanked the Minister for finding time to attend his mother’s funeral, which took place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, penultimate weekend.

    “Mrs Adeosun had seen President Buhari not fewer than three times earlier in the week, and did not need to meet with him again on Friday.’’

    According to Adesina, the statement is to put events in proper perspective, and dispel all conjectures and fictive reporting.

  • [JUST IN] NYSC certificate scandal: Adeosun meets Buhari in Aso Rock

    [JUST IN] NYSC certificate scandal: Adeosun meets Buhari in Aso Rock

    The embattled Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, is currently in a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

    Recall that Adeosun has been in the eye of the storm after a report by Premium Times that she submitted a fake NYSC exemption certificate for screening as a ministerial nominee.

    The minister arrived the presidential villa at about 2:30 p.m. in company of the pastor of Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare.

    Bakare, however, later told journalists that “Our meeting is not related, we met here”.

    The finance minister is still in the president’s office as at the time of filing this report.

    The minister has not commented publicly on the findings.

     

    Details later…

  • No salary for civil servants as FAAC suspends meetings indefinitely

    No salary for civil servants as FAAC suspends meetings indefinitely

    Many of the 36 states of the federation will not be able to pay salary of civil servants for June and July following the suspension of meetings indefinitely by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

    The Chairman, Commissioners of Finance Forum, Mr Mahmood Yunusa on Thursday said FAAC has agreed to suspend meetings indefinitely until an effective revenue collection process is implemented.

    Yunusa said this in Abuja after the monthly FAAC meeting ended in a stalemate for the third consecutive time in one month.

    He said that the Committee was tired of battling with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over oil revenue collections.

    The chairman said that the Committee had already taken the matter before President Muhammadu Buhari, adding “but in the short term, FAAC meetings have been suspended until a more effective collection method is established’’.

    “What we are looking for is for the process to be strengthened, once the process is strengthened there is no need for this fight.

    “It is about the system and the process and we are working on it. It is no longer a joking matter, it has gone to the highest level.

    “Mr President is highly interested in this and he is taking his time to ensure that the right thing is done.

    “Once the process is strengthened, the correct amount is supposed to go to the federal revenue account.

    “Even if it is small, we cannot challenge NNPC, so we are also helping NNPC from undue pressure,’’ he said

    Yunusa said that the decision to hold NNPC accountable came with a price, meaning some states may not be able to pay salaries.

    He, however, expressed the hope that once the process was completed, it would serve as a permanent solution to the reoccurring issue of under-remittance by NNPC.

    It will be recalled that a meeting was convened on June 27 and July 10 respectively, to share the revenue generated in the month of May, which both ended in a stalemate.

    Over the past couple of years, FAAC have had disagreements with NNPC over remittances into the Federation Account.

    The latest development is coming less than a year after the NNPC completed the refund of N450 billion to the federation account.

    The NNPC had for 67 consecutive months, paid an additional N6.33 billion into the federation account to be shared to federal, states and local governments.

    The payment, which started in Sept. 2011, was due to an audit, which showed that the NNPC had been under remitting revenue into the Federation Account.

  • Adeosun’s exemption certificate fake, not issued by NYSC – Ex-mobilisation director

    Adeosun’s exemption certificate fake, not issued by NYSC – Ex-mobilisation director

    A former Director of Mobilisation at the National Youth Service Corps, Anthony Ani, says the certificate of exemption purportedly issued by the NYSC to the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, is fake.

    Ani said this during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Wednesday.

    He said, “The NYSC cannot issue that kind of certificate. Yes, the one reported by Premium Times. We could not have issued that type.”

    The former NYSC director, who was in charge of deployment of corps members, said Brig. Gen. M. I Tsiga was the Director-General of the NYSC in September 2009 but curiously, it was Brig. Gen. Yusuf Bomoi, who purportedly signed the one belonging to the minister.

    Ani added, “The certificate that I saw, that one that I saw if it is the one that they are talking about, the one I saw online, it was not issued by NYSC. I don’t know who issued it. It was not issued by NYSC because what I saw there, the signatory to that certificate was our DG (Gen. Bomoi) who left in January and Gen. Tsiga took over from Gen Bomoi.

    “Tsiga was a sitting DG even as of that September 2009. So, I don’t know where her certificate came from but NYSC cannot make that kind of mistake. The NYSC that I served, I know can never make that kind of mistake.”

    He said it was impossible for the NYSC to have issued a certificate of exemption to someone who graduated below the age of 30.

    Ani maintained that the only persons exempted from service were those who had served in the police, military or graduated above the age of 30.

    The former NYSC director said a person who was 60 years of age would be made to serve if he or she graduated below the age of 30.

    He added, “If you are above 30 even by one day, you will be exempted but if you are below 30 or you are 30 at the time of graduation, you will be deployed.

    “It is not possible to be exempted if you graduated below 30 because it is against the NYSC Act.”

    Responding to a question, he said, “So, even if you graduate at the age of 20 and you are in the United States and you have not made yourself available to be mobilised, whenever you come back even if you are 60 years, you have to undergo the NYSC.”

    Ani noted that it was a crime for anyone to present a forged NYSC certificate to an employer.

    He said all employers were mandated to demand NYSC certificates before hiring graduates.

    Ani added, “If you read Section 13 of the NYSC Act, it says not making yourself available for service is a criminal offence. However, whenever you want the NYSC certificate, whether you delay it until you are 60 years old, you must come to serve because you graduated when you were below 30.

    “According to Section 13 of the NYSC Act, if you give false information concerning your NYSC, you are liable (sic). If you present a certificate that was not issued by the NYSC, you are liable (sic). It is a criminal offence.

    “Whoever is employing anybody in this country, whether private or government, once you are coming in to accept that appointment, you are to present your NYSC certificate and it is also the responsibility of your employer to request it,” Ani said.

  • ‘NYSC under pressure to cover up Adeosun’

    ‘NYSC under pressure to cover up Adeosun’

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday urged the National Youth Service Corps not to cover up alleged forgery of NYSC certificate by Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun.

    An online newspaper had reported that Adeosun forged NYSC exemption certificate.

    But the minister, who studied in the United Kingdom, has yet to respond to this allegation.

    And the NYSC, while confirming that Adeosun did request for an exemption letter, said it would investigate” the origin of the purported Exemption Certificate in question.”

    But the PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan has alleged that the Presidency is mounting pressure on the Scheme to cover up for the minister.

    “Moreover, Nigerians are closely monitoring this issue and the public is already aware of pressure on NYSC leadership to announce a misplacement of relevant files and other excuses to achieve a dead end in the investigation,” he said in a statement.

    “The NYSC must, therefore, know that its reputation is highly at stake as Nigerians are already agitated over the questionable delay by NYSC in coming out with an answer on a direct issue.

    “Indeed, a simple process of matching the serial numbering, date and authorising signature on Mrs Adeosun’s certificate does not require a lengthy investigation or the current shenanigan going on at the NYSC headquarters.

    “NYSC is advised to have in mind that in this age of global Information Communication Technology (ICT), there is nothing anybody can do to suppress or distort facts, even in the public service.”

  • Alleged forgery: Adeosun distances self from journalists as NYSC begins probe

    Alleged forgery: Adeosun distances self from journalists as NYSC begins probe

    It has been a tough week for Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun, who has maintained absolute silence ever since she was accused of forging her National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate.

    In the heat of the barrage of backlash accompanying Adeosun’s saga, the NYSC has also assured Nigerians to investigate the origin of the “purported exemption certificate” in question.

    The trouble started when an online newspaper Premium Times reported that the minister forged an exemption certificate after failing to do the one-year national service, which is mandatory for graduates that are below 30 years at the time of graduation.

    Breaking its silence on the matter yesterday, the management of the NYSC issued a terse statement saying that based on its records, the finance minister had applied for an exemption certificate.

    Meanwhile, all efforts to get the reaction of the minister has failed.

    Her Special Adviser, Media & Communications, Mr Oluyinka Akintunde neither answered several calls put to his phone nor responded to text and email messages sent to him by TheNewsGuru.com.

    Mr Akintunde however later circulated a picture of the minister hosting some officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by its Mission Chief for Nigeria, Amine Mati, in the minister’s office yesterday.

    According to reports, journalists who usually covered such events for the minister were not invited for the event.

    ALSO READ:[Photos] Adeosun makes first appearance after forgery allegations

    In the statement signed by the Director, Press and Publications Relations, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, the scheme however vowed to investigate the origin of the purported Exemption Certificate in question.

    “Our attention has been drawn to the issue of the alleged forgery of an NYSC exemption certificate by the Honorable Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

    “Checking our records, Mrs Adeosun did apply for an exemption certificate. We shall investigate the origin of the purported exemption certificate in question,” Adenike said.

    The NYSC management did not however say if the minister was actually given the exemption certificate which she applied for.