The Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, has defended his decision to skip the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Shittu explained that although he did not submit himself for youth service, he has not broken any law.
He said as a Minister, he has performed ‘higher service’ to the country.
The Minister said this on Friday in Abuja, at the screening exercise conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in preparation for the party primaries where he is hoping to pick up the APC ticket to run for the seat of Oyo State governor.
Shittu said despite not having an NYSC certificate he has performed higher service to the country and therefore he is qualified to contest and win elections.
Shittu’s reaction follows a report by an online news organisation, Premium Times, that the minister skipped the compulsory programme despite graduating from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) at age 25.
Premium Times has earlier reported that after months of discreet checks at the NYSC headquarters, it was discovered that the communications minister did not present himself for service after graduation and is yet to do so till date.
He also admitted that he did not serve but claimed he thought his first political post after graduation could suffice as national service.
The report that Shittu did not do the mandatory NYSC is coming barely a week after Kemi Adeosun resigned because the NYSC exemption certificate she presented was fake.
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