Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian presidency has acknowledged a formal petition demanding that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, steps aside to allow for a full-scale investigation into allegations surrounding his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, allegedly issued in 2023.
The petition, submitted on Tuesday by a coalition of civil societies was addressed to President Tinubu through the Chief of Staff, while a copy was also sent to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
The coalition described the case as “a constitutional and ethical matter that strikes at the very heart of integrity, justice, and public accountability,” insisting that no government official should be shielded from scrutiny.
According to the petition, Tunji-Ojo was first mobilised for the NYSC scheme in 2006 at the age of 24 but allegedly absconded from service.
The NYSC, the petitioners claimed, officially confirmed that the minister did not complete his one-year mandatory service.
Thirteen years later, in 2019, Tunji-Ojo was said to have been re-mobilised to complete his service year.
However, during that same period, he was serving as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Akoko North-East/ North-West Federal Constituency of Ondo State — a dual role that, according to the coalition, violated constitutional provisions prohibiting public officers from holding two remunerated positions simultaneously.
Despite reportedly completing the service in 2020, no discharge certificate was issued at the time.
The groups alleged that a new certificate mysteriously surfaced in 2023, signed by an NYSC Director-General who was not in office during the purported service year.
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