By Asuquo Cletus Felix
The University of Calabar has finally spoken out on the illegal mobilization scandal exposed by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), providing a detailed account of the events that led to the controversy.
In a statement released on Tuesday, by Gabriel O. Egbei University Registrar, the University’s management acknowledged that some of those mobilized for the NYSC program, were not even graduates, or students of the university at that time.
According to the Statement, it was the “Management that exposed the criminal act and brought it to the attention of the NYSC”.
Egbei disclosed in September 2023, the management had received information on certain individuals who had graduated but were National Youth Service.
The Management he noted launched an investigation, which revealed that 178 persons’ names did not appear on the University Senate list, but were already mobilized for Youth Service.
“It should be noted it was the University Management that exposed this criminal act and brought it to the attention of NYSC and other Organizations, and not the other way round.
“In September 2023, internal sources brought to our attention that a certain individual who had not graduated was on national service purportedly from our instruction. We quickly launched an investigation and revealed 10 more cases of infiltration of the NYSC portal.
“Arising from this report, we wrote on 4th October 2023 to NYSC appealing that those 11 persons involved be apprehended and prosecuted. On the 24th of October NYSC responded in line with our resolve to launch a full scale investigation into the issue.
“On the 31st of October, the University wrote to the ICPC Uyo Resident office inviting Wade into the matter. The investigation revealed a staggering 167 new cases of criminal infiltration of the portal, making a total 178 person.
“That the names involved were not definitely found in the records of the university as having graduated. The names were not presented by the department and were not uploaded on the portal, hence they are not found in the hard copies printed from that portal and presented to NYSC in a pre-mobilization workshop.
” These unqualified persons were not mobilized by the University but were somehow smuggled into the portal where we do not know. Not having these names in our graduation or mobilization list clearly means that their Certificates purportedly from University are also fake.
“The investigation necessitated the suspension of the data entry officer, Mr. Obi Obi Endurance who is being investigated by ICPC”.- It reads in part.
Street News had reported that NYSC had withdrawn the certificates of 99 persons and 2 others on exemption, who were fraudulently mobilized by the University Of Calabar for their National Youth Service during the 2021, 2022,and 2023 service year.
In a statement issued by the NYSC management authority on Monday, titled “Invalidation of Certificates Of National Service”, it disclosed that the certificate of National Service of the underlisted persons was subsequently invalidated forthwith by the NYSC Management.
