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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to be apolitical in handling the certificate saga involving Enugu State Governor-elect, Peter Mbah.
It specifically flayed NYSC Director General, Yushau Dogara, for leading what he called, ‘campaign of calumny’ against Mbah in the certificate scandal that has ensued since the beginning of the year.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, told newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja, that it was surprising that Dogara would lead a black propaganda against the Peoples Democratic Party winner of the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State.
He claimed that the NYSC DG is a suspect to have make sudden U-turn claiming that Mbah was not issued an original certificate by the Service.
He noted that the NYSC DG might be working for opposition parties that were dissatisfied that Mbah won the poll against the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government, especially the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to constitute a panel and probe the ‘shenanigan of the NYSC DG against Mbah’ and other victims of NYSC certificate blackmail.
He contended that 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.
He lamented that even at 50 years of existence, NYSC has become an instrument for mischievous politicians to weaponise their political detractors.
“NYSC’s conspiracy, deceit, and wilful misrepresentation of facts necessitated Mbah’s N20 billion lawsuit against it. It is also an irony that the DG said he would not want to comment on the matter since it was in court, only to go ahead to not only deny knowledge of the lawsuit and consequent court order.
“For context, Mbah was given a letter by the NYSC national headquarters dated, May 7, 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 suspicious role of the management of NYSC in the instigated saga about the so-called unknown NYSC certificate presented by the governor-elect of Enugu State is, therefore, suspect.
“The maximum political de-marketing of the governor-elect is satanic and condemnable. The whole thing should be subjected to forensic finger printing analysis,” he said.
