Former minister of communication, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, says he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari without participating in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
Shittu disclosed this while reacting to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Hannatu Masawa as the minister of art, culture and creative economy, while she is still a serving corps member.
According to the former minister, the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not specify that citizens must hold an NYSC certificate before seeking both elective and appointive positions in Nigeria.
“The 1999 Constitution did not make it mandatory that for anybody to hold public office, he/she must have NYSC discharge certificate,” Shittu declared.
He continued: Was she the one who appointed herself? The president appointed her, and the president has not broken any law because the constitution and several court judgments have said that to become a politician or a public office holder, having NYSC discharge certificate is not a requirement.
In 1979, I contested election into the Oyo State House of Assembly; I was coming directly from law school when I contested. I didn’t serve then.
“I went to do higher service in the Oyo State House of Assembly and my opponent, who I defeated from NPN, took me to court but the court threw out his case. He said the court should invalidate my victory because I didn’t do national service.
“Even though I was just coming out of Law school; and the court asked, where in the 1979 Constitution is there a provision that to contest election into the House of Assembly or any other political posts, you must have NYSC discharge certificate?
“By the time I finished my service in the House of Assembly, I was already 30 and I also automatically got appointed as honourable commissioner for Home Affairs, information and culture. That was in 1983, I was 30 by then.
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“That aspect of NYSC has not changed in the constitution, subsequent constitutions retained the provision as it is, it did not say for anybody to go and do service or go and enter political office or something, he must first do NYSC, there is no such law,” he told DailyTrust.
When asked if he was asked to present his NYSC certificate during ministerial screening, Shittu replied: “They could not have asked because it is not a part of the requirements in the constitution, so it will be out of place for anybody to start asking me if have served. Must I serve before I enter the House of Assembly or National Assembly or become a minister?”
