SAN FRANCISCO, September 10, (THEWILL) – The Presidency on Monday said it hopes the certificate forgery scandal involving the finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, would soon be proven as false, revealing that investigations are still on the allegations adding that government would take the appropriate action immediately details of the investigations are made public.
THEWILL recalls that Adeosun has been accused of skipping the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and forged a certificate that indicated she was exempted from participating.
The revelation triggered widespread outrage from Nigerians, with the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, a nongovernmental organisation, petitioning the police inspector general demanding an investigation into the claims against the minister.
Last month, another nongovernmental organisation, the Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), sued the NYSC for its failure to disclose details of the certificate paraded by the minister.
In August, Lai Mohammed, the information minister, said the appropriate agency was still investigating the allegations against Adeosun and that the president would only act at the end of the probe.
However, on Monday, in the Presidency’s first public comment on the matter, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said the allegations against a key member of the administration were yet to be proven.
Shehu, who was responding to allegations of corruption against top officials of the administration said ‘some persons’ were looking forward to a predetermined outcome from the allegations hence their disappointment with the government’s action so far.
“The minister of information has spoken on the matter. And a process is ongoing to address the allegations. When that process is complete, Nigerians will know the outcome,” Shehu said during an interview on AIT’s Kakaaki.
“Some people want a particular outcome and because they are yet to see this outcome, they are not happy. Give it (investigation) time. There is a process ongoing.
“It’s an allegation. If it is proven, you will see what will happen. The minister and the NYSC have spoken on the matter.
“It is not for me to decide (the duration). I don’t have the full facts of the matter, so why the investigation is not out, I don’t know. I hope there will be an early outcome.
“Don’t forget, these people whose names are being dragged in the mud have families and relatives. We hope their innocence will be established,” he said.
