Zainab Ahmed replaces Kemi Adeosun

Minister of State Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, will oversee the Ministry of Finance, henceforth.

The appointment was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari Friday, after accepting the resignation of the holder, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

The President thanked the Minister for her services to the nation and wished her well in her future pursuits.

Ahmed was born in Kaduna State. She got her first degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981, after-which she proceeded to Ogun State University for her MBA.

Adeosun bowed out Friday after an allegation by the online newspaper, Premium Times, that she presented a fake NYSC exemption certificate as part of the requirements for clearance as a minister by the Senate.

Until yesterday, Adeosun kept quiet until she was faced with a report that concurred with the publication and declared the certificate fake.

“I have, today, become privy to the findings of the investigation into the allegation made in an online medium that the Certificate of Exemption from National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) that I had presented was not genuine. This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration’s focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign”, she wrote in her letter to President Buhari.

“Your Excellency, kindly permit me to outline some of the background to this matter. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, indeed my parental family home remains in London. My visits to Nigeria up until the age of thirty-four (34) were holidays, with visas obtained in my UK passport. I obtained my first Nigerian passport at the age of thirty-four (34) and when I relocated there was debate as to whether NYSC Law applied to me. Upon enquiry as to my status relating to NYSC, I was informed that due to my residency history and having exceeded the age of thirty (30), I was exempted from the requirement to serve. Until recent events, that remained my understanding.

“On the basis of that advice and with the guidance and assistance of those, I thought were trusted associates, NYSC were approached for documentary proof of status. I then received the certificate in question. Having never worked in NYSC, visited the premises, been privy to nor familiar with their operations, I had no reason to suspect that the certificate was anything but genuine. Indeed, I presented that certificate at the 2011 Ogun State House of Assembly and in 2015 for Directorate of State Services (DSS) Clearance as well as to the National Assembly for screening. Be that as it may, as someone totally committed to a culture of probity and accountability I have decided to resign with effect from Friday, 14thSeptember, 2018.”