Lessons from Mrs Adeosun’s scandal

Now that it is clear that the NYSC discharge certificate procured for former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, was forged, there are questions begging for answers.  How was she cleared by the Department of State Services (DSS)? Why did they not detect that the document was forged? It is a known fact that before a […]

Now that it is clear that the NYSC discharge certificate procured for former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, was forged, there are questions begging for answers.  How was she cleared by the Department of State Services (DSS)? Why did they not detect that the document was forged? It is a known fact that before a minister can be screened by the Senate for confirmation, the DSS must have conducted background checks on the individual. So, what went wrong here? It is a wakeup call to the DSS to be very thorough in its background checks. The DSS, especially now, that it has a new leadership in place, must re-organize its internal workings. Going forward, it must leave no stone unturned in its background checks if we are to get it right.

Another issue is the alleged compromise by some NYSC officials. Something must be done about this too. In my view, there are institutional lapses or weaknesses that should be addressed. Someone must pay for this to serve as deterrent to others.  When this issue broke, the NYSC said it would investigate. I urge it to make its findings public and ensure that all those culpable are sanctioned appropriately.

It is worthy of note that before her appointment as minister, Mrs Adeosun was a commissioner in Ogun State. How did she pass the screening? The legislature should take the screening of possible political appointees seriously.

This should also serve as a lesson to all Nigerians currently schooling/living abroad to note that if they hope to take up government appointment, they must abide by laid down rules, one of which is the NYSC Act.

All said and done, it is a good thing that the Minister has resigned but I do not think that she should be prosecuted.    In my view, Mrs Adeosun performed well in her assignment as a minister of finance. She paid all salaries of staff in her ministry and under her watch, several laudable initiatives were introduced. They include; Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) and Efficiency Unit (E-Unit). She also vigorously pursued the implementation of TSA and IPPIS which were initiated by the previous administration.

Finally, all the relevant agencies in the country should wake up from their slumber. There are many allegations of forgery in the country ranging from forged WAEC result, NECO, to primary school certificates. Efforts should be made to check these.

Alhassan Haruna can be reached at:[email protected]