The Federal Government has been urged not to shield the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Ojo in the ongoing National Youth Service Corps certificate saga.
The group, Nigeria Integrity Movement (NIM), said the government must resist pressure to shield any appointee accused of document irregularities
The group argued that any cover-up would erode government credibility and invite political exploitation.
It therefore called for an open, authoritative investigation into allegations surrounding the Minister’s NYSC certificate.
The call for proper investigation follows NYSC response to an online Newspaper through the Freedom of Information (FOI) request on the minister’s NYSC participation.
According to the NYSC response, Tunji-Ojo was first mobilised in 2006, absconded, and was later remobilised in 2019 with his certificate produced in 2023 after an administrative omission delayed printing.
The Corps described the certificate as genuine.
But the group said the NYSC explanation left some gaps that needed to be filled.
Speaking at a world press conference in Abuja, the group’s convener, Isaiah Davies Ijele, described calls by some interest groups for the president to shield the minister as dangerous and damaging to the government’s reputation for rule-based governance.
Ijele said that regardless of a minister’s performance, the rule of law must take precedence and any allegation of forgery or irregularity should be fully and transparently examined.
“The fact that Minister Tunji-Ojo is seen as a high-performing official does not place him above the law.
“President Tinubu should direct the minister to submit to independent scrutiny so the public can be satisfied that the documents he submitted on nomination are authentic.”
NIM warned that accepting calls for a cover-up would hand opponents a potent political issue and damage Tinubu’s anti-corruption and good-governance credentials. The group also pointed to precedent where a minister stepped down amid certificate controversy, saying voluntary transparency or resignation when wrongdoing is established helps protect institutional integrity.
Ijele also questioned technical gaps in the NYSC response to media queries, for example, how a remobilised trainee could serve simultaneously with other public duties and why the certificate was not produced until years after Tunji-Ojo’s reported completion date. He urged a full, impartial probe of both the minister’s records and the administrative processes at the NYSC to determine where responsibility lies.
Ijele stressed that the group is not witch-hunting anybody but only demanded for the truth.
“We are not on a political witch-hunt. We demand the truth that if there were administrative lapses at the NYSC, those must be fixed; if the minister’s documents are flawed, the law must take its course.”
The group also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the relevant security and oversight agencies including the Department of State Services and anti-corruption bodies where appropriate to investigate the matter and report publicly. NIM said that decisive, transparent action will reassure Nigerians and strengthen confidence in the administration’s commitment to accountability.
