National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said the University of Calabar once mobilised a bread seller on its graduation list for the mandatory national service.
NYSC director of information and public relations, Eddy Megwa, said yesterday that as part of moves to restore sanity, it stopped 54 illegally mobilised graduates of the university to prevent the award of certificates of national service to unqualified persons.
The statement quoted the director general of the NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, as disclosing this in Abuja at the weekend, adding that the illegal graduates would be prosecuted accordingly.
He said of the 54, 19 of them who initially registered online for mobilisation, had been prevented from service, while four certificates of national service for other culprits were not produced by the scheme.
The NYSC had earlier on Monday, invalidated the certificates of 101 illegally mobilised graduates of UNICAL who were part of the scheme between 2021 and 2023.
Following the invalidation of the certificates, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, DIG Udom Ekpoudom (rtd.), commended the scheme for exposing fake graduates who were fraudulently mobilised, pledging to take action against staff involved in the act.
The statement disclosed that a bread seller had been illegally mobilised from the university, while commending the vice-chancellor, Prof Florence Obi, for hinting the NYSC on the illegal mobilisation.
“The vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar came here to report that she observed some names appeared on the institution’s list and they ought not to have been there. She checked the list the school gave us and I told her that their certificates would be invalidated. I give kudos to the vice-chancellor.
“Previously, a bread seller was mobilised on the graduation list from the same institution, there are bad eggs in many places that generate matriculation numbers and courses for their candidates,” the DG said.
He further said the scheme would intensify collaboration with heads of corps producing institutions and relevant stakeholders in the country to stop the menace.
