A group known as the Niger Delta Think Tank on Good Governance has called on President Bola Tinubu, to set up an independent panel to investigate the controversies surrounding the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records of the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The organisation led by Mr Gregory Oritsetimihin noted that the demand was not an attempt to indict the Minister but a principled appeal for accountability, due process, and public confidence in Nigeria’s institutions.
Addressing journalists on Monday at a press conference, the group also recommended the suspension of the Minister pending the outcome of the probe, describing such a step as an administrative safeguard rather than a punitive action.
The organisation said it was worrying that the nothing concrete had been done by the inquiry by a notable media organisation, Premium Times, on the matter after invoking the Freedom of Information Act.
According to the group, an official response issued by the NYSC on August 8, 2023, confirmed that the Minister was mobilised for national service in 2006, absconded from the programme, and later resurfaced in 2019, when he was re-mobilised and redeployed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The statement further noted that his Certificate of National Service was eventually issued in February 2023, several years after the expected completion period.
“These facts were not drawn from speculation or social media narratives but were provided directly by the NYSC itself,” the group stated.
The think tank also clarified that universities, rather than the NYSC, are responsible for the mobilisation of graduates, stressing that issues relating to mobilisation, redeployment, and certification are matters of serious institutional responsibility and require objective and transparent review.
It described absconding from the NYSC scheme as a violation of existing laws and civic obligations, warning that unresolved questions surrounding the programme especially involving a serving public official could damage public trust and reinforce perceptions of selective accountability.
While urging calm, the organisation appealed to the President to demonstrate leadership by constituting an independent panel to review the matter and make its findings public.
According to the group, a transparent review would protect the integrity of the Presidency, uphold the credibility of the NYSC, and safeguard the reputation of the Minister.
“Accountability is not persecution, and inquiry is not condemnation,” the think tank said, adding that Nigeria’s democracy is strengthened when issues are addressed openly and in line with due process.