The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has come bold to prove to the Federal High Court Abuja, that the suit brought against it by the Enugu state governor, Peter Mbah, in respect of his controversial NYSC discharge certificate, does not hold any water.
An affidavit deposed to at by the Assistant Director of the Certification Department, Mrs. Rhoda Dawa, revealed that Mbah’s discharge certificate, which he claimed the NYSC issued to him, did not in fact, emanate from it.
According to NYSC’ documents submitted to the court, Mbah may have submitted a forged discharge certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Documents tendered by NYSC
Among the tendered documents are a photocopy of the original copy of the certificate that was to be issued to Mbah, a date sheet which shows where discharged corps members signed for their certificates, another data sheet with the names of unclaimed certificates, official circulars authorising the destruction of unclaimed certificates, photographs of the incineration of the unclaimed discharge certificates, samples of the NYSC discharge certificates during the period the governor was supposed to have performed his compulsory national service, Police and Department of State Services’ letters of investigation, among others.
Recall that Mbah claimed in court that he duly completed his youth service and was given a certificate of discharge.
The governor also sued the NYSC for N20 billion damages, while claiming that the body misrepresented facts.
Mbah also sought a declaration that he participated in the NYSC scheme for one calendar year via a call-up letter numbered FRN/2001/800351 with the Lagos code LA/01/1532.
He argued that the declaration must state that he was issued a certificate of national service numbered A808297 upon completing his service year in 2003.
However, the NYSC insisted that Mbah did not complete his service year and that the certificate of discharge he parades was not issued by the body.
As evidence, the NYSC filed in court the data sheet where Mbah was to have signed and collected his discharge certificate.
According to the NYSC, while the certificate presented by Mbah bears serial number A808297, the one prepared for him, but which he did not collect, bore the serial number – 673517.
The NYSC also made reference to the calligraphic writing on Mbah’s certificate, arguing that the style of the writing on the governor’s certificate was quite different from the one on all other certificates issued to discharged corps members during his batch.
While revealeling that the corps directorate hired one person for the calligraphic writings on all certificates, the NYSC insisted that there was no way Mbah’s own could be different from those of other corps members that passed out during the same period.
“The 1″ Respondent’s (NYSC) National Directorate Headquarters issued the Certificates for the Members of the Service Corps in Lagos State, including the Certificate of the Applicant, using a Certificate Issuance Register.
“The register indicated the basic data of the Members of the Service Corps, including their State Code, name, Call-Up Number, and Certificate Number in serial form. A copy of the relevant page of the Certificate Issuance Register at the National Directorate Headquarters, showing the Applicant in asterisks with Certificate Number 673517, is attached herewith and marked as Exhibit ‘NYSC 5,’” the NYSC said in its deposition.
The NYSC also stated that contrary to Mbah’s claim that his probable date of discharge was September 15, 2002, his probable date of discharge upon completing his programme at the Nigerian Law School, was September 15, 2003.
The NYSC further argued that it never issued any discharge certificate to Mbah because he did not complete his service year, even when he was mobilised for the same.
The NYSC further noted that the discharge certificate prepared for him was later returned to its headquarters, along with other unclaimed certificates, after which it was destroyed along with other unclaimed certificates, in the presence of security operatives.
“Following the 1″ Respondent’s Top Management’s directive on 18th August 2021, all the outdated, unused, and cancelled Certificates of National Service and Certificates of Exemption, Certificates of absconded Members of the Service Corps, including the Applicant’s Certificate Number A673517 which he was not available to collect, have been disposed of by incineration,” the NYSC said.
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