The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has clarified the circumstances surrounding the undercover journalist, Umar Audu, who managed to be mobilised for the compulsory one-year program in 2023 after previously completing it in 2019, News About Nigeria reports.
Eddy Megwa, the Director of Public Affairs at NYSC, revealed the journalist changed his email address and phone number, allowing him to be drafted into the scheme again.
Megwa explained that the system initially rejected the reporter’s data because he had served in the scheme before.
However, by altering his contact information, the system accepted him, and he was initially posted to Osun State.
While acknowledging the existing checks and balances, Megwa assured that the NYSC is reviewing the situation to prevent such occurrences in the future.
When asked about the use of the National Identification Number (NIN), Megwa mentioned its incorporation into the scheme three years ago but was unable to explain why discrepancies in the journalist’s biodata in NIN and his second mobilisation were not detected.
Responding to concerns about foreign certificates, Megwa said that NYSC’s role is not to assess the certificates but stated that the scheme collaborates with various agencies, including the Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs Ministry, to track students studying abroad.
On another note, Okechukwu Favour, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students in the Republic of Benin, appealed to the federal government to reconsider the blanket ban on certificates and degrees from higher institutions in Benin Republic.
Favour pointed out that over 15,000 Nigerian students are studying in the country, and the ban would affect legitimate students at various stages of their studies.
The federal government recently imposed a ban on graduates from some foreign universities following revelations by an undercover reporter about obtaining a degree in the Benin Republic within six weeks and being mobilised for the NYSC program.
Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, the Minister of Education, disclosed the establishment of a committee to appraise the accreditation systems of foreign universities and assess their certificates.
