Nigeria’s NYSC has dismissed the claim by the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shitu, that holding political office compensated for his refusal to participate in the compulsory national service.
The spokesperson of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Adenike Adeyemi, said the minister’s claim that holding an elective office suffices for the obligatory national service is incorrect.
Recall that Premium Times exposed Shitu as an NYSC dodger on Thursday, and since then, he has been claiming that his election into the Oyo State House of Assembly immediately after graduation in 1979 replaced the mandatory service.
Some lawyers have also said Mr Shitu’s justification for skipping the scheme is flawed and ludicrous.
Mrs Adeyemi agreed with the lawyers on the bases for exemption allowed by the law in Section 2 of the NYSC Act.
The referenced section exempted only four categories of Nigerians from the national service.
Those exempted are those who graduated after their 30th birthday, those who served in the military or the police for at least nine months as well as staff of intelligence agencies.
Those conferred with national honours before graduation are also exempted from the scheme.
Speaking to Tribune newspaper, the NYSC spokesperson said the provisions of the Act are clear, and that individuals such as Mr Shittu who became a lawmaker at the age of 26 are not exempted.
She said, “Serving in the National (or state) Assembly is not one of them (conditions for exemption from national service)”.