The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has demobilized 54 graduates from the University of Calabar who were illegally mobilized, preventing them from receiving Certificates of National Service.
This action was announced on Friday in a statement by the NYSC’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, brought the issue to the NYSC’s attention and taking steps to address the situation.
“The Vice-Chancellor reported that some names on the institution’s graduation list were not legitimate, and we took immediate action to invalidate those certificates,” thr statement said.
The NYSC Director – General, Brigadier-General Yusha’u Ahmed, said individuals involved would face prosecution.
He noted that such cases often involve “bad actors” who create fake matriculation numbers and courses for unqualified individuals.
Among the 54, nineteen had initially registered online for mobilization but were blocked from service, and four others had their certificates withheld by the NYSC.
Earlier in the week, the NYSC had also invalidated the certificates of 101 graduates from the same university, who were fraudulently mobilized between 2021 and 2023.
The Pro-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, DIG Udom Ekpoudom (rtd.), praised the NYSC for exposing these fake graduates and vowed to take action against the staff involved in the illegal mobilization.
Brigadier-General Ahmed highlighted a case where a bread seller was wrongfully mobilized as a graduate from the same University.
Ahmed also emphasized the importance of collaboration with Heads of Corps Producing Institutions and other stakeholders to prevent such fraudulent activities.
He stressed that the responsibility for any errors in the mobilization process falls on the integrity of the institution’s management, urging them to ensure that only qualified individuals are mobilized.
The NYSC DG further called on employers across the country to verify the authenticity of Certificates of National Service presented for job placements to ensure they are legitimate. (vitalnewsngr.com)
