NYSC DG Lied On Mbah’s Certificate Saga – Enugu PDP

The Enugu State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized the statement made by Brigadier General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), claiming that he informed Governor-elect Dr. Peter Mbah of Enugu State that his discharge certificate was not issued by the NYSC.

The party, however, regarded this claim as consistent with the agency’s pattern of conspiracy, deception, and deliberate distortion of facts, which prompted Mbah to file a N20 billion lawsuit against the NYSC.

The party also found it ironic that the Director-General initially stated his unwillingness to comment on the matter due to its sub judice status, acknowledging it was in court. However, he then proceeded to not only deny awareness of the lawsuit and subsequent court order but also demonstrated clear contempt for the court.

Barrister Nana Ogbodo, the Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the Enugu State PDP Campaign Council for the 2023 general elections, expressed these sentiments during a press conference on Friday in response to an interview given by the NYSC Director-General on Arise News earlier that day.

“We should have viewed with surprise the false claim by the NYSC DG, Brigadier-General Yushau’u Dogara Ahmed, on national television this morning. But he has not said anything new, as his statements were in sync with the continued conspiracy, deceit, and wilful misrepresentation of facts by the agency and its Director of Corps Certification, Mr. Ibrahim Muhammad, which necessitated Mbah’s N20 Billion lawsuit against the agency and Mr. Muhammad in the first place.

“The DG lied when he claimed that he told Mbah during a meeting in his office that the NYSC did not issue his certificate. The truth is that he told Mbah that the Director in question neither briefed nor cleared with him before issuing the letter dated February 1, 2023 disclaiming Dr. Mbah’s discharge certificate.

“He equally expressed surprise when Mbah showed him the letter by the NYSC national headquarters dated 7th May 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).

“Excerpt from the re-mobilisation letter states: ‘I am directed to refer to your letter of 24th April, Reference No. LA/01/1532/T on the above subject matter and to request you to re-instate the corps member to continue his service year from where he stopped, with effect from May 2003’.

“It is noteworthy that the Directors and staff present at the meeting did not deny that the NYSC authored the letter re-mobilising Mbah, while his place of primary assignment, Udeh & Associates, Lagos, has not denied that it authored the letter reabsorbing him to complete the remaining months of his service year as well as the final clearance letter to enable him receive his NYSC discharge certificate at the end of his service.

“The DG actually told Dr. Mbah that he was barely three months in office at the time, but would resolve the matter with dispatch. But it is striking that the NYSC is yet to formally respond to Mbah’s petition since February 2, 2023. Instead, the NYSC, through its Director of Corps Certification, has continued to issue letters of disclaimer to various political interests in Enugu State, in clear contempt of a subsisting court judgment upholding the authenticity of his certificate and in relentless disparagement of his reputation”, the PDP stated.

The party raised questions about why Mbah would go through the arduous process of serving his country, only to engage in certificate forgery, describing such a notion as illogical.

Furthermore, the party emphasized that the ultimate decision regarding the authenticity of Mbah’s NYSC certificate does not lie solely with the agency. It urged the NYSC to confront the N20 billion lawsuit in a court of law, where the agency retains the right to subpoena other pertinent agencies involved in the issuance and verification of NYSC certificates to provide evidence.

“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.

“Meanwhile it is equally important to point out that the statement by the NYSC DG, Brigadier-General Ahmed is a clear contempt of a valid interim court order sequel to suit number FHC/ABJ/09/611/2023 restraining the agency and its Director of Corps Certification whether by themselves, their directors, officers, servants, legal representatives, counsel or any other person or persons howsoever described and connected, from issuing, publishing or continue to issue, publish disclaimer to the effect that Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate was not issued by the agency pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit already filed.

“This should not be the way of a body established by law, NYSC cannot be above the law of the land”, the party concluded.