A Human Rights and Constitutional lawyer, Mr Festus Ogun, has written to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) requesting it to probe the allegation of certificate forgery by the Ondo Ministerial nominee, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

This was contained in a letter by Ogun’s representative to the Director General of the NYSC by FOLEGAL legal practitioner and consultant and signed by its Associate Counsel, Barr. Damilola Adesanya Esq dated Aug. 7, 2023, and made available to newsmen in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

Ogun based his request on the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 to respectfully request that a probe be caused into the matter and be furnished with all the information relating to Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s Application to the Corps.

He said In the letter that Tunji- Ojo, in fulfillment of the constitutional requirements for qualification as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he alleged that the nominee, presented questionable academic credentials and certificates (including an NYSC discharge certificate) to the National Assembly.

The letter read in parts: “In his Curriculum Vitae (CV) submitted to the Senate, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo stated that he was born on the 1^st of May, 1982. Further, he claimed to have graduated from the London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom between 2003 and 2005.

“Curiously, about two decades after he purportedly graduated and at the age of 37, he purportedly enrolled for the compulsory. National Youths Service Corps (NYSC); at about the same time he was a Federal Lawmaker representing the people of Akoko North East/ Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State at the National Assembly.

“Under Sections 2(1) and 13(1) of the NYSC Act, 1993, every Nigerian under the age of 30 who completes his or her undergraduate degree shall report for compulsory Youth Service.

“Mr. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo breached this law with reckless abandon. The failure of Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to report for service till about two decades after graduation is an offense punishable by not less than twelve months imprisonment.

“Secondly, by the clear provisions of Section 2(2)(a) of the NYSC Act, upon clocking the age of 30, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was no longer eligible to participate in NYSC. Despite his patent ineligibility to participate, in 2019 and at the age of 37, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo claimed that he participated in service.

“This is questionable. The NYSC Act and indeed the NYSC cannot allow a 37-year-old man to participate in the youth corps.

“Additionally, in 2019, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was a Federal Lawmaker who was very active in the activities of the House of Representatives.

“The probing question is: Was he at the NYSC Camp for three weeks? If yes, where did he participate in the compulsory camping? Where was his Place of Primary Assignment? Was he participating in the scheme and contemporaneously representing his people as a Federal Lawmaker?

Even if his spurious claims are anything to go by, they are a violation of Section 13(2)(a) of the NYSC Act which provides that “any person who under the provisions of this Act is not eligible to participate in the service corps so participates or attempts to so participate is guilty of an offence” which is punishable by not less than two years imprisonment.

“In his case, the purported “Certificate of National Service” was suspiciously post-dated to 2023, over two years after he purportedly concluded the service.

“Instructively, only exemption certificates are issued to those above the age of 30. A graduate above the age of 30 like Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is not eligible to be issued a Certificate of Service.

“Our client, like every other well-meaning Nigerian with good conscience, has strong reasons to believe that the purported “Certificate of Service” is forged or doctored.”

The letter said It had absolute trust and unflagging confidence in the competence and impervious integrity of the Corps to ensure that the matter was thoroughly investigated and probed.

It added that It equally had confidence that the FOI request would be treated urgently in line with the seven days rule stipulated under section 4 of the Act,2011

The letter added that ” We are equally confident that this FOI request will be treated urgently in line with the 7 days rule stipulated under Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. (Vanguard: Text, Excluding Headline)

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