By Chidimma Okwara,
A prominent civil society group, the Nigeria Integrity Movement (NIM), has urgently called upon President Bola Tinubu to authorize a transparent and authoritative probe into the controversy surrounding the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. The organization emphasized that allowing a thorough and impartial investigation is essential to upholding the rule of law and maintaining the credibility of the Federal Government’s anti-corruption stance.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Davies Ijele, the convener of NIM, sternly cautioned President Tinubu against heeding alleged calls from vested interests to shield the performing minister. Ijele asserted that regardless of an appointee’s effectiveness or popularity in office, the rule of law must take precedence over political expediency.
“Any cover-up in this matter would severely erode the government’s credibility and open the door to political exploitation by opponents,” Ijele warned. He insisted that the mere allegation of forgery or irregularity concerning a fundamental document like the NYSC certificate demands a full public examination.
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The push for scrutiny stems from a media investigation that highlighted discrepancies in the Minister’s NYSC records and the eventual timing of his certificate issuance.
The NYSC, in its response to the media, confirmed that Minister Tunji-Ojo was initially mobilized in 2006 but absconded from service. He was reportedly remobilized in 2019, and his certificate was eventually produced in 2023 due to what the Corps described as an administrative omission that delayed the printing process.
However, NIM argues that the NYSC’s explanation leaves “technical gaps.” The organization questions how a remobilized individual could simultaneously perform other public duties and why the certificate printing was delayed for so many years after the reported completion date.
The civil society groups are asking President Tinubu to direct the Minister to submit to independent scrutiny to reassure the public of the authenticity of his documents. This call is highly significant, coming shortly after another minister in the administration resigned amid a separate certificate scandal.
Ijele recalled the precedent set by a former minister who voluntarily stepped down over a certificate controversy, emphasizing that such transparency helps protect institutional integrity.
“We are not on a political witch-hunt,” Ijele stressed. “We demand truth: if there were administrative lapses at the NYSC, those must be fixed; if the minister’s documents are flawed, the law must take its course.”
NIM appealed to the President to direct relevant security and oversight agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and anti-corruption bodies, to investigate the records and administrative processes at the NYSC to determine where responsibility lies and report their findings publicly. They concluded that only decisive, transparent action will strengthen public confidence in the administration’s commitment to accountability.
