The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has revealed a startling case where a bread seller was fraudulently included in the graduation list of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and mobilized for the mandatory one-year national service. This revelation is part of a broader crackdown by the NYSC to restore integrity in the mobilization process.
In a statement released on Saturday by the NYSC’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Yusha’u Ahmed, disclosed that the scheme has demobilized 54 individuals who were illegally mobilized from UNICAL. This decisive action is intended to prevent the awarding of NYSC certificates to unqualified persons.
Brigadier-General Ahmed further revealed that of the 54 illegally mobilized individuals, 19 were prevented from registering online for service, and the certificates of four others were withheld by the NYSC. He praised the Vice-Chancellor of UNICAL for her cooperation in identifying and addressing the issue, noting that she had personally reported the discrepancies to the NYSC.
“The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar came here to report that she observed some names appeared on the institution’s list and they ought not to have been there. She checked the list the school gave us and I told her that their certificates would be invalidated. I give kudos to the Vice-Chancellor,” Ahmed stated.
He also pointed out a previous case where a bread seller was wrongly mobilized from UNICAL, highlighting the presence of “bad eggs” who manipulate the system by generating fake matriculation numbers and courses for unqualified individuals.
To combat this growing issue, the NYSC has pledged to intensify collaboration with Heads of Corps Producing Institutions and other stakeholders. Ahmed emphasized that the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of graduate data falls on the institutions themselves, and any failure in this process reflects poorly on their management.
Additionally, Ahmed urged all employers of labor to verify the authenticity of NYSC certificates presented by job applicants to ensure they are legitimate.
Earlier in the week, the NYSC invalidated the certificates of 101 graduates from UNICAL who were fraudulently mobilized between 2021 and 2023. Following this action, the Pro-Chancellor of the University, DIG Udom Ekpoudom (retd.), commended the NYSC for its efforts to expose fake graduates and promised to take action against any staff involved in the fraudulent mobilization process.
