ABUJA- A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, under the aegis of Nigeria Integrity Movement (NIM) has urged President Bola Tinubu to allow a transparent probe into the Interior Minister’s NYSC certificate controversy.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja yesterday, the convener of the group, Davies Ijele, who called for a transparent probe of the NYSC certificate of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, saying any cover-up would erode the government’s credibility and invite political exploitation, described calls by some interest groups for the president to shield the minister as dangerous and damaging to the government’s reputation for rule-based governance.
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According to Ijele, regardless of a minister’s performance, the rule of law must take precedence and any allegation of forgery or irregularity should be fully and transparently examined, just as he urged the president to resist pressure to protect any appointee accused of document irregularities, calling for an open, authoritative investigation into allegations surrounding the minister’s NYSC certificate.
According to him, the fact that Tunji-Ojo is seen as a high-performing official does not place him above the law.
He said, “President Tinubu should direct the minister to submit to independent scrutiny so the public can be satisfied that the documents he submitted on nomination are authentic.
“This call for scrutiny is predicated on a report that raised questions about discrepancies in Tunji-Ojo NYSC records and the timing of his certificate issuance.”
The convener added that an investigation by a national media has prompted the NYSC to respond, saying the minister was first mobilised in 2006, absconded, and was later remobilised in 2019 with his certificate produced in 2023 after an administrative omission delayed printing.
He questioned technical gaps in the NYSC response to media queries for example, how a remobilised trainee could serve simultaneously with other public duties and why the certificate was not produced until years after his reported completion date.
He therefore called for a full, impartial probe of both the minister’s records and the administrative processes at the NYSC to determine where responsibility lies.
“The corps described the certificate as genuine, but its explanation left some observers seeking further clarification about the sequence of events,” he said.
Ijele warned that accepting calls for a cover-up would therefore hand opponents a potent political issue and damage Tinubu’s anti-corruption and good-governance credentials.
He recalled a precedent where a minister stepped down amid certificate controversy, saying voluntary transparency or resignation when wrongdoing is established helps protect institutional integrity.
“We are not on a political witch-hunt. 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,” he stressed.
He appealed to President Tinubu to direct the relevant security and oversight agencies, including the Department of State Services and anti-corruption bodies, where appropriat,e to investigate the matter and report publicly.
“Decisive, transparent action will reassure Nigerians and strengthen confidence in the administration’s commitment to accountability,” Ijele added.
