Kemi Adeosun, former minister of finance, has said her resignation from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari was the result of a calculated move by “powerful enemies” who seized on the controversy surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to push her out of office.
Adeosun made the claim during an interview on Inside Sources, a programme aired on Channels Television. An excerpt of the interview was broadcast on Thursday as part of the station’s news bulletin, ahead of the full episode scheduled for Friday.
The former finance minister, who served from 2015 to 2018, resigned after allegations emerged that she submitted a forged NYSC exemption certificate among her official credentials. At the time, the development sparked widespread public debate and intense political pressure, culminating in her exit from the cabinet.
Speaking during the interview, Adeosun said the controversy was exploited by influential figures within the Buhari-led administration who were determined to remove her.
“There were powerful enemies who saw the NYSC certificate issue as an opportunity to get rid of me,” she said.
Adeosun did not name individuals she believed were behind the alleged plot, but suggested that internal politics within the government played a significant role in the events that led to her resignation.
Her comments mark one of the most direct acknowledgements since leaving office that her departure was, in her view, driven not only by the certificate controversy but also by political maneuvering at the highest levels of government.
The former minister has largely stayed out of public political debates since her resignation, making the interview one of her most candid reflections on her time in office and the circumstances surrounding her exit.
