Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu Did Not Participate In NYSC
Another minister in President Buhari’s administration has been accused of failure to participate in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
This is coming barely a week after Kemi Adeosun was forced to resign because the NYSC exemption certificate she presented was fake.
Communications minister, Adebayo Shittu has been accused of not serving in the scheme after graduating from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in 1978 at the age of 25.
This is according to an investigative report by Premium Times, which also revealed Shittu finished his Law school in 1979 and was elected into the Oyo State House of Assembly the same year.
Having obtained a bachelors degree at the age of 25, Section 2 of the NYSC Act expects Mr Shittu to have participated in the one-year national service.
Those exempted by the law are those who graduated after their 30th birthday, persons with national honours and individuals who serve in the military and intelligence organisations.
However, in his reaction to the accusation that he skipped the mandatory one year service, the minister said he believed that having been elected lawmaker, he needed not participate in the national service.
He said he deliberately skipped the NYSC scheme because he was convinced that his membership of the state assembly was itself a “service.”
“The constitution provides for the qualification needed for state assembly members, NYSC is not there.”
“I didn’t need it to become a member of the state assembly, and that is already a service,” he said.
Despite deliberately skipping the NYSC scheme and without having any exemption certificate, Adebayo Shittu went on from being a state lawmaker at a young age, to becoming an attorney general and commissioner for justice in Oyo State, and currently a minister in President Buhari’s cabinet, as well as occupying various other public offices.
Naijapary recalls Shittu is also a 2019 governorship aspirant of Oyo state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.