Former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has clarified that her September 2018 resignation from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet was a principled decision to protect the Office of the Minister of Finance and pursue legal action to clear her name, rather than an admission of wrongdoing. Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Friday, Adeosun addressed lingering questions about her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption controversy.
“My resignation was a matter of principle, not guilt. It was to protect the Office of the Minister of Finance and defend my reputation,” she said, explaining that remaining in office while fighting a court case about her integrity would have been inappropriate. She revealed that she personally informed President Buhari of her decision, stating: “I told Mr President that I needed to go to court to clear my name. He supported my decision. You don’t destroy your name because you want to remain minister. These names are leased from our children and grandchildren.”
In July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja vindicated Adeosun’s position, ruling that she was ineligible for the NYSC scheme under the 1979 Constitution, which was in force when she graduated from the University of East London in 1989 at age 22. Justice Taiwo Taiwo held that the constitution at that time did not recognize dual citizenship and that Adeosun was not a Nigerian citizen when she graduated or turned 30.
The court further ruled that she was not required to present an NYSC certificate to be appointed minister and that her appointment was neither illegal nor unconstitutional, noting that her Nigerian citizenship reverted under a later constitution when she was already above the 30-year age limit for NYSC participation.