'Premium Times And The Hatchet Job Against Kemi Adeosun'
Once again poor and shoddy investigative journalism appears to be winning. This time the victim is Kemi Adeosun, Minister of Finance.
Premium Times a few days ago ‘broke’ news alleging that Mrs Adeosun presented a forged NYSC exemption certificate. The main evidence they had was that the certificate was signed by an NYSC DG who was no longer in office as at the date on the exemption certificate.
While it is true that the late Brigadier General Yusuf Bomoi left the NYSC in January 2009, we now know that several certificates issued after that date in 2009 still bore his signature.
Several people on social media have since shared photos of their certificates issued after January 2009 (when the late Brigadier General Yusuf Bomoi) handed over to Brigadier-General M.I. Tsiga as DG of the NYSC. Are all these certificates fake or forged as well?
The DG of the NYSC does not ‘hand-sign’ every certificate by himself, just as the CBN Governor does not physically sign every currency note. No human being can do that. The certificates are printed in bulk in advance, and then filled out with the name of the recipient and other details. Up till after Gen Bomoi left the NYSC certificates bearing his signature were being genuinely issued.
The truth, sadly, is that Premium Times has goofed again. This is not the first time they are publishing falsehood about Mrs Adeosun, falsehood for which they have never apologized, even when proved wrong. They keep allowing themselves to be used as a tool in the hands of people who want to undermine Mrs Adeosun and her work as Finance Minister.
As Mrs Adeosun’s predecessor as Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala wrote in her new book, ‘FIGHTING CORRUPTION IS DANGEROUS’, powerful and corrupt vested interests not only kidnapped her mother, but also made plans to physically hurt the Minister. “They asked my brother to tell me to announce on national television and radio that I was resigning from my job as Finance Minister and leaving the country.” Another time some powerful people humiliated her at the State House when she came visiting with the IMF President.
Now we are witnessing the same thing, and the victim this time is Mrs Kemi Adeosun. Corruption is fighting back, and Premium Times and other newspapers are allowing themselves to be used as tools, sadly.
Even when the NYSC issued a statement on the matter, acknowledging that the Minister indeed properly applied for an exemption, Premium Times chose a false and sensational and most unprofessional headline to report the news, alleging that the NYSC had ‘disowned’ the Minister, when what the NYSC did was the complete opposite of disowning her.
Let us avoid the rush to judgement. Mrs Adeosun is the victim of powerful enemies whose toes she has stepped upon in the battle to redeem Nigeria’s finances from the hands of ghost workers, tax evaders and other financial criminals. She will overcome, as she has always done.
Written By Slayer1914 of Nairaland
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