Why ICPC stopped investigation of Adeosun’s certificate forgery

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) has given reasons why it stopped investigations into the use of a forged exemption certificate of the National Youth Service Corps by a former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.

The former Finance Minister, who resigned on Friday, admitted that the NYSC exemption certificate was not genuine.

The ICPC’s spokesperson, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, in a response noted that the agency has stopped the investigation into the former minister’s certificate forgery.

“We stepped down the investigation into the matter so as not to duplicate the efforts of another agency which had taken it up.”

The resignation has drawn different reaction from Nigerians on social media with many calling for her prosecution by security agencies.

Before we get to what the people said, below is a quick refresher on this matter:

Mrs Kemi Adeosun was (until her resignation) Nigeria’s Minister of Finance. She is one of the few women to have been appointed to head such a high-level public office.

Unfortunately, she never had it easy. The economy was in a serious recession, and many people doubted her capability to turn things around.

When the NYSC certificate scandal came to light earlier this year, “all hell let loose” and public opinion was against her. This is even before everyone knew the details surrounding the matter.

Mrs Adeosun probably made a (bad?) decision by keeping quiet on the matter for a long time.

There was an investigation, at the end of which it became clear that the NYSC exemption letter she got is a fake one.

For this, she decided to do the “honourable” thing and resign. She also publicly addressed the NYSC certificate saga for the first time.

Interestingly, her side of the story exposed a morality problem which most Nigerians are used to as far as public administration in the country is concerned