CSO To Tinubu: Allow Transparent Probe Of Tunji Ojo’s NYSC Certificate Saga

The Nigeria Integrity Movement (NIM), a civilian nine organization, has urged President Bola Tinubu to let a transparent probe into the interior minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s NYSC certificate controversy.

According to the group, immoderate cover-up would erode the government’s credibility and invitation governmental exploitation.

Addressing newsmen successful Abuja connected Thursday, the convener of the group, Davies Ijele, described calls by immoderate involvement groups for the president to shield the curate arsenic unsafe and damaging to the government’s estimation for rule-based governance.

Ijele said careless of a minister’s performance, the regularisation of instrumentality indispensable instrumentality precedence and immoderate allegation of forgery oregon irregularity should beryllium afloat and transparently examined.

He urged the president to defy unit to support immoderate appointee accused of papers irregularities, and called for an open, authoritative probe into allegations surrounding the minister’s NYSC certificate.

According to him, the information that Tunji-Ojo is seen arsenic a high-performing authoritative does not spot him supra the law.

“President Tinubu should nonstop the curate to taxable to autarkic scrutiny truthful the nationalist tin beryllium satisfied that the documents helium submitted connected information are authentic.

“This telephone for scrutiny is predicated connected a study that raised questions astir discrepancies successful Tunji-Ojo NYSC records and the timing of his certificate issuance,” the convener said, adding that an probe by a nationalist media has prompted the NYSC to respond, saying “the curate was archetypal mobilised successful 2006, absconded, and was aboriginal remobilised successful 2019 with his certificate produced successful 2023 aft an administrative omission delayed printing.”

He questioned method gaps successful the NYSC effect to media queries, for example, however a remobilised trainee could service simultaneously with different nationalist duties and wherefore the certificate was not produced until years aft his reported completion date.

The radical called for a full, impartial probe of some the minister’s records and the administrative processes astatine the NYSC to find wherever work lies.

“The corps described the certificate arsenic genuine, but its mentation near immoderate observers seeking further clarification astir the series of events,” the radical said.

‎Ijele warned that accepting calls for a cover-up would truthful manus opponents a potent governmental contented and harm Tinubu’s anti-corruption and good-governance credentials.

He recalled a precedent wherever a curate stepped down amid certificate controversy, saying voluntary transparency oregon resignation erstwhile wrongdoing is established helps support organization integrity.

‎“We are not connected a governmental witch-hunt. We request the information that if determination were administrative lapses astatine the NYSC, those indispensable beryllium fixed; if the minister’s documents are flawed, the instrumentality indispensable instrumentality its course,” helium stressed.

‎He appealed to President Tinubu to nonstop the applicable information and oversight agencies including the Department of State Services and anti-corruption bodies wherever due to analyse the substance and study publicly.

“Decisive, transparent enactment volition reassure Nigerians and fortify assurance successful the administration’s committedness to accountability,” Ijele added.

It was gathered that the All  Progressives Congress (APC) successful Rivers connected Tuesday, slammed what it described arsenic a coordinated smear run by hopeless politicians to tarnish the representation of Tunji-Ojo, declaring the attacks “dead connected arrival.”

APC spokesperson successful the state, Darlington Nwauju, said caller societal media publications pushing recycled allegations against the Minister are a failed effort to distract a performing nationalist servant whose way grounds speaks louder than propaganda.