Kemi Adeosun And The Hypocrisy Of The Corruption Fight -By Kehinde Oluwatosin Babatunde

And it came to pass that after months of back and forth tussle over the NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) credentials of Mrs Kemi Adeosun, she resigned her appointment as the minister of Finance.

First of all I celebrate her ingenuity in handling her portfolio over the few years spent and also her courage to resign. Resignation is not the forte of Africans, you doubt it just take a look at Robert Mugabe and Paul Biya.

Adeosun was raised in a clime where there is a perfect distinction between good and evil, not evil and less evil. Mrs Adeosun took responsibility for her actions even though it was obvious that the whole brouhaha was part of a high wired conspiracy in the government she worked for.

Former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun

I credit her for choosing the path of honor.

Since the news of her resignation filtered, there has been plaudits from some quarters applauding the APC for her anti-corruption crusade.

I smiled ,because such submissions reminds me of the dictum in Yoruba folklore that involves a fink that calls the thief to come and steal the farm produce and calls the farmer to apprehend the thief. The arbiters of corruption in this government also doubles as the crusader of the act.

The frustration of Kemi and her eventual resignation is an Indictment on the anti-corruption nonsense APC claims she’s fighting.

Given our remit as a people who point fingers easily, we have mastered the act of only punishing sins of people not in our camp. Adeosun was not sacked on the grounds of her incompetence, but that of certificates whose importance is almost inconsequential when put side by side with competence .

Every day i meet Nigerians with certifications but no intuition, our system has encouraged paper knowledge without practical knowledge or hands-on application.

Mind you Adeosun served as commissioner of Finance in Ogun State using the same exemption certificate, and was also screened by the nation’s house of assembly as she presented her credentials for the Finance portfolio. The nation’s system is so porous that anyone can bypass it at will, and in her reactionary manner, she cries blue murder after the bypass.

The frustration of Mrs Adeosun and her eventual resignation indicates how farther into a distant future the hope of this nation is in terms of being purged of the demon that is corruption. Every time Nigeria tells you she’s fighting corruption kindly watch out, she might just be opening an orifice of corruption.

Kehinde Oluwatosin Babatunde is a prolific writer and public speaker based in Lagos Nigeria.

Kehindeobabatunde@gmail.com