Bakare, Adeosun Didn’t Meet Buhari, Says Presidency

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

The presidency has debunked reports that Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain Assembly and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, met together with President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja, Friday.

In a swift response to the reports, the president’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the claim that both personalities simultaneously met the president was “far from the truth.”

According to the statement, Adeosun was in the State House in connection with the Annual General Meeting and 25th Anniversary Celebration of African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK) scheduled to hold on Saturday in Abuja and would be attended by Buhari.

Furthermore, Adesina said Adeosun only coincidentally ran into Bakare whom he said was on a scheduled visit to the State House to see the president, explaining that they only exchanged pleasantries.

He also said the pastor particularly thanked the minister for finding time to attend his mother’s funeral which took place in Abeokuta, Ogun State, penultimate weekend adding that Adeosun had seen Buhari no fewer than three times earlier this week, and had no reason to meet with him again on Friday.

According to him, the statement was necessary to put issues in proper perspective, and equally dispel speculations and assumptions.

Earlier reports had claimed that Bakare and Adeosun met with Buhari behind closed doors, adding that the meeting might not be unconnected with the alleged certificate scandal involving the minister.

The minister had been accused of evading the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme by failing to return to the country from the United Kingdom where she lived and obtained tertiary education at the age of 22 to participate in the scheme as required.

She was equally accused of fraudulently obtaining NYSC exemption discharge certificate which she was not qualified to obtain in violation of Section 4 of the NYSC Act.