A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), Monday, carpeted the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, over his comment in the certificate saga involving Governor-elect of Enugu state, Dr. Peter Mbah.
The NYSC was quoted to have said the discharge certificate being paraded by Mr Mbah was not issued by the body.
But HURIWA’s national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko in a press conference in Abuja, accused the NYSC DG for taking side in a matter that is before a court of competent jurisdiction.
He urged the federal government, especially the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to constitute a panel and probe the NYSC DG against Mbah and other victims of NYSC certificate blackmail.
He said anytime enemies want to carry out a smear campaign against a winning politician of government official, NYSC is the go-to place to achieve their crafty devices.
“The case of former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. At 50, NYSC has sadly become an instrument for mischievous politicians to weaponise their political detractors,” he said.
He alleged that it was the misrepresentation of facts that necessitated Mbah’s N20 billion lawsuit against NYSC.
He said: “For context, Mbah was given a letter by the NYSC national headquarters dated 7th May 2003 (reference number NYSC/DHQ/CM/27/20) to the State Director, Lagos, NYSC, re-mobilising him for the remaining part of his service year after a break, by the express and written permission of the agency, to complete Bar Part II (Bar Final).
“We wonder why Mbah would go through all the rigorous process to serve his fatherland only to end up forging a certificate
“NYSC discharge certificates are printed by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company PLC. They have security features such as watermarks and serial numbers denoting the batches.
“We therefore challenge the NYSC to produce any other certificate in the series of Mbah’s certificate that has the same serial number as his.
“The maximum political demarketing of the Governor-elect is satanic and condemnable. The whole thing should be subjected to forensic finger printing analysis.
“We condemn the media trial against Peter Mbah and demand a Presidential probe panel made up of independent persons including for justices of the Supreme Court who must have retired 12 years ago as members to probe the NYSC certificate issuance that is now marred in self inflicted quagmire.”
