Abuja: The Nigeria Integrity Movement (NIM), a civil society organisation, has urged President Bola Tinubu to allow a transparent probe into the Interior Minister’s NYSC certificate controversy. The group has called for an investigation into Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s NYSC certificate, warning that any cover-up would erode government credibility and invite political exploitation.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the convener of the group, Davies Ijele, addressed newsmen in Abuja, describing alleged 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. Ijele emphasized that 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.
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. Ijele stated that Tunji-Ojo’s perceived high performance does not place him above the law and that President Tinubu should direct the minister to submit to independent scrutiny to ensure the authenticity of the documents he submitted upon nomination.
The call for scrutiny is based on a report questioning discrepancies in Tunji-Ojo’s NYSC records and the timing of his certificate issuance. An investigation by a national media prompted the NYSC to respond, explaining that 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.
Ijele questioned technical gaps in the NYSC response, such as how a remobilised trainee could serve simultaneously with other public duties and why the certificate was not produced until years after the reported completion date. He 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 Ijele noted that its explanation left some observers seeking further clarification about the sequence of events. He warned that accepting calls for a cover-up would provide opponents with a potent political issue and damage Tinubu’s anti-corruption and good-governance credentials.
Recalling a precedent where a minister stepped down amid certificate controversy, Ijele emphasized that voluntary transparency or resignation when wrongdoing is established helps protect institutional integrity. He stressed that the demand is not a political witch-hunt but a quest for truth to address administrative lapses at the NYSC or flaws in the minister’s documents.
Ijele appealed to President Tinubu to direct relevant security and oversight agencies, including the Department of State Services and anti-corruption bodies, to investigate the matter and report publicly. He added that decisive, transparent action would reassure Nigerians and strengthen confidence in the administration’s commitment to accountability.
Additionally, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers condemned what it described as a coordinated smear campaign by desperate politicians to tarnish the image of Tunji-Ojo, declaring the attacks ‘dead on arrival.’ APC spokesperson in the state, Darlington Nwauju, criticized recent social media publications pushing recycled allegations against the minister, describing them as a failed attempt to distract a performing public servant whose track record speaks louder than propaganda.