It has been revealed by the Management of the National Youth Service Corps that 54 graduates from the University of Calabar were illegally mobilised and have been demobilised to prevent unqualified individuals from receiving Certificates of National Service.
In a statement released on Friday night, the Scheme’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, confirmed this development.
NYSC’s Director General, Brigadier-General Yusha’u Ahmed, announced the demobilisation in Abuja on Friday and mentioned that legal actions will be taken against the concerned graduates.
Out of the 54 individuals, nineteen initially registered online for mobilization but were stopped from proceeding with the service, and four Certificates of National Service were not issued to other offenders by the Scheme.
Earlier in the week, NYSC had invalidated the Certificates of 101 graduates from UNICAL who were illegally mobilised between 2021-2023.
The Pro-Chancellor of the University, DIG Udom Ekpoudom (retd.), commended NYSC for uncovering fraudulently mobilised fake graduates and pledged to take action against staff involved in the scandal.
The NYSC DG shared that even a bread seller had been wrongfully mobilised from the University and praised Vice-Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, for alerting the NYSC about the irregularities.
“The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar reported discrepancies in the list provided to us, leading to the invalidation of certificates. I commend her vigilance.
“Previously, a bread seller was erroneously included in the graduation list from the same institution, showcasing the presence of dishonest individuals manipulating matriculation records”, stated the DG.
He also emphasized on the need for cooperation between the NYSC and academic institutions to combat such malpractices.
Ahmed stressed that any oversight in the mobilisation process reflects poorly on the management’s integrity, saying, “Those responsible for entering graduate data should be trustworthy individuals.”
He urged all employers to verify the authenticity of National Service Certificates presented by job applicants from the NYSC.