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| Tinubu & Olubunmi Ojo. |
The Niger Delta Think Tank on Good Governance, led by its Convener, Ambassador Gregory Oritsetimihin, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institute an independent and transparent review of issues arising from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records of the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The call
was made on Monday during a press conference, where the group cited official
correspondences between Premium Times and the NYSC obtained under the Freedom
of Information Act.
Addressing
journalists, Amb. Oritsetimihin said the demand was not an attempt to indict
the minister but a principled appeal for accountability, due process, and
public confidence in Nigeria’s institutions.
According
to the civil society group, an official response issued by the NYSC on August
8, 2023, confirmed that Dr. Tunji-Ojo was mobilised for national service in
2006, absconded from the programme, and later resurfaced in 2019, when he was
re-mobilised and redeployed to the Federal Capital Territory. The statement
further noted that his Certificate of National Service was eventually issued in
February 2023, several years after the expected completion period.
“These
facts were not drawn from speculation or social media narratives but were
provided directly by the NYSC itself,” the group stated.
The think
tank also clarified that universities, rather than the NYSC, are responsible
for the mobilisation of graduates, stressing that issues relating to
mobilisation, redeployment, and certification are matters of serious
institutional responsibility and require objective and transparent review.
The group
described absconding from the NYSC scheme as a violation of existing laws and
civic obligations, warning that unresolved questions surrounding the programme
especially involving a serving public official could damage public trust and
reinforce perceptions of selective accountability.
While
urging calm, the coalition appealed to the President to demonstrate leadership
by constituting an independent panel to review the matter and make its findings
public.
It also
recommended that the Minister be relieved of his duties pending the outcome of
the investigation, describing such a step as an administrative safeguard rather
than a punitive action.
According
to the group, a transparent review would protect the integrity of the
Presidency, uphold the credibility of the NYSC, and safeguard the reputation of
the Minister.
“Accountability
is not persecution, and inquiry is not condemnation,” the think tank said,
adding that Nigeria’s democracy is strengthened when issues are addressed
openly and in line with due process.
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