A new twist emerged Monday on the ongoing controversy over the none participation of the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after graduation from the University of Ife in 1979, a year after the introduction of the service.
The embattled First class graduate of Law who decided to become a State lawmaker at the age of 24 after graduation instead of serving the country has gone to court, on the allegation that NYSC erred in law by not serving him with a call-up letter in 1979 to enable him to observe the mandatory one-year national youth service, while he was still below the age of 30.
His lead counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), filed the suit marked FHC/IB/CS/111/2018 before the Federal High Court in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday.
Joined as defendants in the suit are Director General, NYSC; the Oyo State Coordinator, NYSC; the NYSC and the Attorney General of the Federation.
Key in his prayers include a declaration that the NYSC had waived his obligation to observe the one-year compulsory service by allegedly failing to serve him with a call-up letter in 1979 after he finished from the Nigerian Law School.
The Minister further argued that “the possession of the NYSC Discharge or Exemption Certificate is not one of the requirements for the appointment of the plaintiff as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or for his election as a state Governor or as a senator, pursuant to sections 147, 177 and 65 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Accordingly, his lawyer is also praying the court to perpetually restrain the NYSC and the other defendants from calling upon him to serve under the NYSC scheme “or from imposing any liability on or making the plaintiff to suffer any liability, be it civil or criminal, on account of his purported non-service under the NYSC scheme.”
Besides, he wants the court to order the NYSC to issue to him a Certificate of National Service, “having served the nation as member of the Oyo State House of Assembly immediately after graduating from the Nigerian Law School.”
Better put, Shittu seeks the court to order the NYSC to issue to him an Exemption Certificate in view of his service as a lawmaker in Oyo State.
Business Hilights recalls that the Minister, who had entered the gubernatorial race in Oyo State was eased out during his party (APC) screening on grounds of not serving the nation in NYSC after graduation.
Besides, as the matter continues to trend, several Nigerians had expected him to either resign his position as a minister of the federal republic or be sacked for not serving the nation after graduation in 1979.
Currently, he has not resigned nor removed from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari as he was sighted at last week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting with other ministers.
