By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The Minister of Communications, Adabayo Shittu, has said that he has no case to answer for not participating in the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corp scheme, arguing that his case is different from that of the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun.
Shittu, who spoke to journalists on Friday shortly after undergoing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship screening exercise in Abuja. said he had not broken any law of the land.
In his reaction to media reports on his failure to participate in the mandatory NYSC scheme, Shittu insisted that his case could not be compared to that of the former Minister of Finance, who tendered her resignation recently after it was confirmed that the NYSC exemption letter in her possession was forged.
According to the minister, whereas that of the former finance minister was the presentation of a fake exemption certificate, he said he didn’t even obtain any certificate.
Shittu argued that he considered his service at the state assembly, “a higher service”.
He said: “I left (University) in 1978 and left law school in 1979 and the constitution says anyone who qualifies to contest an election or who has gone through an election and wins, he is obligated to move through the House of Assembly which I did for four years, so it is a form of higher service as far as I’m concerned, and even now, I am still in service.”
On whether he agrees that he has violated the provisions of the NYSC Act, the minister said, “I don’t see… and I’m not worried. Do you see any worry on my face? I don’t think so, except someone has a superior argument and prove it.” Stressing that his case was not like that of Adeosun, Shittu said: “There is a world of difference. Unfortunately, Kemi had a fake certificate, I didn’t present any. I didn’t have one, I simply followed the constitutional requirement that if you are qualified to contest an election, it is compulsory for you to serve the nation in the capacity that you won an election.”
Shittu has been accused of not participating in the NYSC Scheme as required by law even though he graduated from the University before the age of 30 when he would have been qualified for exemption.
