I’m not worried I don’t have NYSC certificate — Shittu

THE Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Friday, insisted that he has not violated any law by evading the mandatory national service for fresh Nigerian graduates.

The Oyo State governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) equated his sojourn as a lawmaker in the Oyo State House of Assembly in the second Republic to the compulsory youth service.

Shittu said: “I left in 1978 and left Law School in 1979 and the constitution says, anyone, who qualifies to contest an election or who has gone through an election and wins, he is obligated to move through the House of Assembly which I did for four years. So, it is a form of higher service as far as I’m concerned and even now, I am still in service.”

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The Communications Minister further declared that he was not bothered by negative reactions trailing his claim that his “service as lawmaker in old Oyo State and as minister was higher than the national youth service, just as he cautioned that no one should liken his predicament to the forged NYSC Certificate of Exemption presented by immediate past Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

“I’m not worried. Do you see any worry on my face? I don’t think so except someone has a superior argument and proves it. There are walls of difference. Unfortunately, Kemi had a fake certificate, I didn’t present any, I didn’t have one; I simply followed the constitutional requirement that if you are qualified to contest an election, it is compulsory for you to serve the nation in the capacity that you won an election.” Shittu said.