EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday ruled on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate saga involving former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Federal High Court sitting presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo cleared the former Minister of Finance of the certificate controversy, which resulted in her resignation in 2018.
Justice Taiwo, in his ruling on the originating summon with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/303/21 brought by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, on behalf of Adeosun, held that the NYSC certificate based on the constitution is not a mandatory requirement for holding a political office in the country.
While the former Minister of Finance was the plaintiff in the suit, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami was the sole defendant.
Recall that on 7 July 2018, a newspaper investigation revealed that Adeosun had illegally obtained her NYSC exemption certificate to get into public office.
According to the investigation, the Minister’s exemption certificate was purportedly signed in September 2009 by Yusuf Bomoi, a retired brigadier-general. However, Bomoi officially left NYSC on February 13, 2009, giving rise to queries on the originality of the certificate.
On 9th July, NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Adeyemi Adenike released a statement that confirmed that Adeosun legitimately submitted a request for an exemption certificate, but also stated that investigations were still ongoing to verify the approval of the exemption certificate.
Meanwhile, commenting on the issue at the time, Maharazu Tsiga, former director-general of the NYSC said the exemption certificate allegedly given to Adeosun could not have been issued by the corps.
A report had it that the National Assembly (NASS) used the forged NYSC certificate to blackmail Adeosun who had to part with billions of naira belonging to Nigeria, to satiate greedy lawmakers.
On 14th of September, 2018, Adeosun resigned as Minister of Finance in a written letter to President Muhammadu Buhari due to the alleged NYSC certificate scandal.
However, the former Minister challenged the matter in court.
Ruling on the case, Justice Taiwo said, “I am of the view that denying the plaintiff of the relieves sought is not going to be doing justice to the matter.
The Judge, therefore, granted all the four relieves sought for determination by the former Minister.
Taiwo noted that the AGF, in his counter affidavit, did not challenge the avirement of the plaintiff, wherein 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 on accord.