The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman, Itse Sagay (SAN), has described the controversy about the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate of Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, as unnecessary.
Sagay also stated that President Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford to sack Adeosun because the minister is “brilliant”.
He said this in Abuja on the sidelines of a workshop on the United Kingdom Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), organised by PACAC, the UK National Crime Agency and the Department for International Development (DfID).
“I don’t know why the government has not reacted. But, let me tell you my reaction: This woman is a brilliant and extremely valuable member of this government”, Nation quoted him as saying.
“A lot of the good things happening now – the welfare that Nigerians are enjoying and are going to enjoy, because it takes time, and the way our economy is booming, how we got out of recession – are due to her expertise, her commitment, her sacrifice.
“There is nothing in this world that will make me remove such a woman from the government. The PDP can weep from now until there is no tear in their body; she is going to be there. We cannot afford to lose that woman.
“Who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”
On the allegation that Adeosun forged an exemption certificate, the PACAC chairman said: “I don’t believe it. I don’t see anything serious about not doing youth service. I don’t see anything serious about it. That’s my own bias, not government’s.
“I’m telling you now. If you ask me – If I were President Buhari, I would never, ever touch that woman because she’s damn good.
“The enemies of this government want to reduce his capacity to provide good governance by engaging in social media attacks and trying to get rid of her. It will not work.”
Comments