Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, yesterday, reacted to the allegation that he skipped of the one year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), insisting that his case cannot be compared to the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.
An online media, Premium Times, had reported on Thurday that Adebayo, who is seeking the ticket of APC to contest governorship election in Oyo state, skipped the one year mandatory service.
But the Minister insisted that while the former finance minister obtained a fake NYSC certificate, he on his part, didn’t even obtain his, adding that he considered his service at the state assembly, “a higher service”.
Speaking with journalists after he was appeared before the APC Governorship Aspirants Screening Committee in Abuja, Shittu claimed that he had not infringed on any law in the Nigerian constitution.
He said: ” The Nigerian Tribune even reported that I left university in 1979 but in actual sense, I left in 1978 and left law school in 1979 and the constitution says anyone who qualifies to contest an election or who has gone through an election and wins, he is obligated to move through the House of Assembly which I did for four years.
So, it is a form of higher service as far as I’m concerned and even now, I am still in service’’.
On whether he has violated any law, the Minister said: “I don’t see and I’m not worried.
Do you see any worry on my face? I don’t think so except someone has a superior argument and prove it.
Stressing that his case was not like that of Kemi Adeosun, Shittu said: “There are walls of difference.
Unfortunately, Kemi had a fake certificate, I didn’t present any, I didn’t have one, I simply followed the constitutional requirement that if you are qualified to contest an election, it is compulsory for you to serve the nation in the capacity that you won an election.”