How Kemi Adeosun became minister

In November 2015, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun was appointed  Minister of Finance by President Muhammadu Buhari, ostensibly on the recommendations of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, even against the wishes of some APC chieftains in the South west.

Adeosun had served as Ogun State Commissioner for Finance from 2011 to 2015. It was reported that she grew the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by 500 percent. Those familiar with the intrigues behind the appointment said this was the unique selling point with which Amosun recommended her to the president. She was also reported to have spearheaded the tax residency campaign that people who live in Ogun State should pay their taxes in Ogun rather than Lagos where they worked in compliance with the tax laws. Over 100,000 people were said to have been added to the tax net with her tax drive.

Adeosun’s brief profile

Mrs. Adesoun was born in 1967 in the United Kingdom where her father, a civil engineer, worked as a civil servant. She attended the University of East London from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and capped it with a post-graduate Diploma in Public Sector Financial Management from the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies). She qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) as well.

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