The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has warned that some members of the political elite were plotting to use some persons in the Judiciary to destroy the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for pecuniary interests.
National Treasurer of the CLO, Comrade Halima Ibrahim who made the allegation on Monday at a press briefing in Abuja lamented the increasing assault on the NYSC by the political class, stressing that the essence of the scheme is being undermined due to political expediency.
Ibrahim recalled that since its establishment in 1973 by the then military government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon, the NYSC had sustained its integrity and remained consistent with its records of achievements in national integration and nation building.
According to her,the scheme had over the last 50 years, demonstrated exemplary courage and fairness in the discharge of its duties and had in all cases refused to be cowed by the barbaric intimidation of politicians.
She recalled an incident in 2018 where a cabinet minister was forced to resign when she was found to be in possession of a fake discharge certificate purportedly issued by the NYSC. In 2019, Ibrahim stated, a nominee on the board of PENCOM was removed for not being able to produce her NYSC discharge certificate.
She however expressed dismay over recent developments where the political elite are now trying to use the judiciary to circumvent the NYSC by rushing to court to get judgement on fake discharge certificate which NYSC have said it never issued.
“The CLO is concerned and dismayed that some public office holders in the country who occupy office of public trust are involved in forgery of public documents including educational results and the NYSC discharge certificate.
” More worrisome is the fact that some of these individuals who are quite powerful are challenging anyone including the courts who dare to question their nefarious actions,” she said.
The CLO particularly emphasized the case of of a serving governor in the South East and a serving minister ( names withheld) who, they alleged, were currently undermining the NYSC and getting the support of powerful politicians in the country.
Ibrahim said that in the case of the state governor, “the NYSC had proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the certificate the governor parades was not issued by them, yet Nigerians have watched as the governor keeps launching orchestrated judicial onslaught and media campaigns of calumny against the NYSC.”
The CLO cited a case by the Supreme Court in Oyetola Vs Adeleke where the apex court said that it is only the issuing authority of a certificate that has the sole authority, to validate or repudiate it.
“As a leading human rights organisation that consistently advocates for constitutional democracy, rule of law, due process, justice and equity and equality of all before the law, the CLO is further concerned that the Governor and his lawyers knew this, yet they threw everything into the ring to stop the NYSC from coming to testify at the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal,” Ibrahim said.
