Former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has described her resignation from the cabinet of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 as the best decision she could have made, insisting it was guided by principle and not an admission of wrongdoing.
Adeosun made the remarks while speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television. She explained that her decision to step aside followed the controversy surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and was aimed at protecting the integrity of public office while she pursued legal redress.
According to her, remaining in office as Minister of Finance while simultaneously challenging the matter in court would have been inappropriate and distracting to the government. She said the move was intended to shield the Office of the Minister of Finance from unnecessary controversy and to safeguard her personal reputation.
“My resignation was a matter of principle and not an admission of wrongdoing. It was a step to protect the Office of the Minister of Finance and defend my reputation,” she said.
Adeosun noted that it would have been incompatible to continue representing Nigeria at high-level local and international meetings while appearing in court on an issue touching on integrity. She also dismissed the idea of suing the government while holding one of its most senior economic positions.
She recalled informing President Buhari of her decision, saying she told him she needed to go to court to clear her name. According to her, the late president supported the move, emphasising the importance of protecting one’s name for future generations.
The controversy that led to her resignation centred on her NYSC status. However, in July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that Adeosun was never legally required to participate in the NYSC scheme. The court held that she was not a Nigerian citizen at the time she graduated or when she turned 30, the cut-off age for compulsory service.
Adeosun graduated from the University of East London in 1989 at the age of 22. Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who delivered the judgment, ruled that her appointment as minister was neither illegal nor unconstitutional, noting that the Constitution does not require the presentation of an NYSC certificate for ministerial appointments.
The court further held that the 1979 Constitution, under which she graduated, did not recognise dual citizenship, which made her ineligible for the scheme at the time. By the time citizenship laws changed in her favour, she had already exceeded the age limit. The suit was filed in March 2021 by her legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN.
Beyond the legal issues, Adeosun also spoke on ongoing economic reforms, particularly fuel subsidy and taxation. She said subsidy payments were widely understood within government as unsustainable and a major fiscal burden.
According to her, consumption figures at the time showed about 65 million litres of fuel per day despite the country having roughly 10 million cars, a situation she described as unrealistic. She warned that funds spent on subsidies deprived critical sectors such as roads, education and healthcare of much-needed investment.
While expressing support for reforms, Adeosun stressed the importance of long-term structural solutions, noting that beyond temporary palliatives, sustainable policies were needed to help citizens absorb economic adjustments.
