Enugu Governor-elect Discharge Certificate Is Fake, Not Authentic — NYSC DG Declares
The NYSC Director General, Brig Gen YD Ahmed, said that the certificate was not issued by the agency and that it was a product of black market racketeering.
Enugu Governor-elect Discharge Certificate Is Fake, Not Authentic — NYSC DG Declares
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has declared that the discharge certificate presented by Enugu State Governor-elect, Peter Mbah, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not authentic, News Week Nigeria reports.
The NYSC Director General, Brig Gen YD Ahmed, said that the certificate was not issued by the agency and that it was a product of black market racketeering.
The controversy over Mbah’s NYSC certificate started in February 2023, when a non-governmental organisation made an inquiry to the NYSC and received a letter stating that the certificate was fake. In April 2023, another letter confirming the same was issued by the NYSC following another inquiry by an Aba-based law firm, Silver & Co. Associates.
Mbah, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State with 56.7% of the votes. He is expected to be sworn in as the governor on May 29, 2023.
However, his eligibility for the office may be challenged by his opponents based on his NYSC certificate scandal.
Mbah has reportedly filed a case against the NYSC, demanding N20 billion for damages he claimed to have suffered due to the NYSC’s disclaiming of his certificate.
He also obtained an order from a Federal High Court in Abuja, restraining the NYSC and its personnel from commenting on his certificate.
The NYSC DG said he was not aware of any suit or court order and that he would not tolerate certificate racketeering.
He said he wondered how educated elites would resort to buying fake certificates from the black market. He said he personally confronted Mbah and told him that his certificate was fake.
Mbah’s NYSC certificate saga has raised questions about the integrity and credibility of many public office holders in Nigeria who may have obtained their qualifications through dubious means.
It also exposes the loopholes and corruption in the NYSC system that allows for such malpractices to thrive.