JUST IN: NYSC accuses Enugu governor-elect of possessing fake discharge certificate

ENUGU state governor-elect, Mr. Peter Mbah, has been accused of possessing a fake discharge certificate by the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen Yushau Ahmed.

The NYSC DG made this statement during an interview on Arise TV’s breakfast programme on Friday.

Mbah, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emerged as the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Enugu.

He had earlier filed a N20 billion lawsuit against the NYSC, claiming he suffered injuries due to the controversies surrounding his certificate.

This controversy started in February 2023 when the NYSC, in response to an inquiry by a non-governmental organization, released a letter stating that the certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission was not issued by them.

Meanwhile, during the Arise TV interview, the Brigadier-General Ahmed said, “He (Mbah) came to me and I called my director to confirm the certificate and we discovered that the certificate was fake and I told him…

“I wonder how elites who have gone to school will resort to black market certificates. Everyone knows how we issue our certificate in NYSC we don’t give it in hotel rooms or houses.”

The allegation of a fake NYSC certificate being paraded by Enugu State Governor-elect, Peter Mbah, is reminiscent of the Kemi Adeosun saga.

In 2018, Adeosun, who was then Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, was accused of possessing a fake NYSC certificate. The controversy led to her resignation from office.

The NYSC had confirmed that the certificate was not issued by them, and investigations by the Nigerian media revealed that Adeosun had allegedly obtained a fake certificate to avoid the mandatory one-year NYSC service.

The case generated widespread public outrage and renewed calls for more scrutiny of public officials’ credentials.