The Issue Is Not About Politics, It Is About Principle. Shittu Should Resign -By Yahaya Muhammad Abubakar

It was just a few days back when we heard about the resignation of the then Hon. Minister of finance, Mrs. Kemi from the President Buhari’s cabinet of ministers on the account of NYSC certificate scandal. We as well heard of the case of a secondary school leaving certificate issue of Sen. Adeleke, the PDP Osun gubernatorial candidate. There had also been the issue of President Buhari’s Secondary school leaving certificate saga that reign during the 2015 election. There had also been the case of Sen. Dino Malaye’s certificate saga.

All the above mentioned scenarios and more had been all over the media for the past days. Even though some of the allegations have since been disregarded as false accusations on some basis only known to them. The issue is not even about those I have mentioned earlier. Just of recent, after all the long controversies that happened about the former finance minister’s fake NYSC certificate saga, yet we woke up again with sad news of the communication minister’s NYSC certificate saga from Buhari’s cabinet ministerial appointee. Hon. Shittu who was alleged to have skipped the mandatory NYSC as well. What baffles me much was his response on the said allegation, that he accidentally find himself in service of his people as a law maker after his degree and thus Mr. Shittu feels equating the mandatory NYSC to that which he served as a law maker. This kept me wondering and speculating on weather Shittu have actually gone through the degree studies program himself.

Yahaya Muhammad Abubakar

As an educated fellow and someone that manage to go through a degree should have known what NYSC is, its terms and mandates. As a law maker you should be able to know and have a clear understanding of the laws governing your land. It will impressed one to know that NYSC was created not just for the sake of bringing out our unity in diversity but also as a room to give back or payback time to your nation after enjoying the abundant free service through the high institution which was considered a rear opportunity. NYSC is a mandatory service for one to exercise so long as you have achieve a degree or equivalent education level before enjoying the nation wealth again.
There is no denying that there are instances where a person may be exempted from undertaking the mandatory youth service for instance if you happened to be over thirty years of age at the time of graduation. There are other instances as it is believe to be a true service to a nation as well for instance, if you happened to be in the force; army, police, navy, air force et al or when you serve in other security organizations like DSS. With all due respect Mr. Shittu, you will only be digressing yourself if you are equating your service as a law maker to that of NYSC. It will have been better for you to simply resign and seek the forgiveness of Nigerians for working under disguise.

The issue of NYSC is a principle that is bonded and made compulsory on all except for those I’ve mentioned earlier. Although some may argue that and says, the Nigerian constitution also recognize secondary school certificate as sufficient certificate to pursue political aspiration. I say yes, it is true indeed. But there is condition for it as well and can only hold if secondary school certificate is the highest certificate obtained by a person, which is not the case in Shittu.

Let Shittu and his elite do justice to themselves, to our nation and simply resign from that position as he is not worth it. I will also advice the other who have yet being in display of their little bad secretes and do the right thing before Nigerian come to know of it.