Cry for Kemi Adeosun - Certificates, Identity Cards and the Nigerian Factor

The law is the law, but Nigeria where nothing works as should, really makes it extremely hard if not impossible to do the right thing, the right way, at the right time.

In the case of the former minister of finance her story and facts indicate she was qualified for an exemption, the issue is that it appears she did not claim her exemption through the long and tedious official channels process, instead she used agents who duped her with the assurance of a fake certificate.

Many people will suggest that she should have known, but I seriously doubt that she did or bothered to investigate, why would she do that, since she was technically exempt anyway. I sense that this former British citizen must have just experienced relief at getting over one of many hurdles of getting to be a Nigerian officially.

Now that she has resigned, Nigerians on the right side of this legal debate are now sneering, pointing fingers and calling for her persecution, because her fake document was introduced into the public domain to exempt and qualify her for political appointments, it’s the law, but before calling for her prosecution, let us go down memory lane:

1. Have you ever tried to get a drivers license in Nigeria before. Back in the early 90’s new modern day drivers licenses were introduced, many people filled out forms, but it took years for the id’s to be handed out, if ever, Have you ever tried to get an international drivers license now or in the past and gone to the shack of the office predating the FRSC and met the clueless clerks before, please remember.

2. Have you ever tried to get transcripts from a Nigerian university from overseas by writing or having your choice overseas school try to obtain it directly from your university before emails and mobile phones, it was a nightmare only adults from a certain generation can understand and it might still be the case.

3. Have you ever visited any ministry and ever gotten exactly what you need on the first visit. Where you able to get the right person to sign your form immediately or did you need to keep on coming back, things might have changed today with technology but go back in time and think about the experience.

4. After visiting the ministry a hundred times without success haven’t any of you resorted to hiring a consultant mercenary to get it for you because you lacked influence or the time or patience to keep on queuing.

5. Back in the 80’s or 90’s who had phones. Where you able to contact NYSC either by phone or email. Could you write to the NYSC from abroad and get a response or must you appear at your state secretariat, the most likely will send you to Abuja, who had money or time.

6 Do people understand how much misinformation circulates about protocol and procedures before the advent of social media. Does anyone remember that if you want anything you must go to the office only to be referred to the zonal office in another state, who had money or time then.

7. In the area of secondary school leaving certificates, how many Nigerians have their certified WEAC certificates, truthfully all many have are statement of results. I know many people who only collected their official certificates decades after graduation and after many efforts to get ministry officials to sign off, they were always told to come back as that batch was not ready for decades. Please bring your teacher to verify you graduated from that closed school they would tell you. In most cases many of these graduates had moved out of state and old staff of the school were untraceable. Do many people understand how many jobs graduates lost because a school could not give them their certificates upon graduation. Do people understand how many people will get fired or were fired for not presenting their original weac certificate. Check yourself

These are just a few relevant instances to highlight the scenario behind this fake certificate scandal by a former minister and the reason why a president would have difficulty producing a due process procedural certificate.

The present day internet and mobile phone generation might not understand these scenarios but may have experienced it while trying to collect a simple PVC. It is tragic to see any adult who grew up after Nigeria fell into utter dysfunction from the 80’s to be pontificating all riotous presently about certificate and exemption issues, but you are right if you do so because you are covered by a law.

Yes, A law has been violated, but for once it would be great if Nigerians become realists about certain situations and stop the endemic hypocrisy because of politics. it is nauseating especially when every single accuser is guilty of going around the excruciatingly painfully slow Nigerian system to get the Clearance the need to get to next level.

Nigerians need to understand their history and the reasons for these institutional flaws and take care not to apply rigid judgement to all situations considering our dysfunctional past and a harsh system in growing and procedural pains

By Terhemba Osuji