Inspector General of Police has been petitioned by a human right lawyer, Mr. Benedict Olutan to investigate and probe the alleged certificate forgery and misrepresentation of academic qualifications by a Minister-Designate, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
In a petition written on behalf Olutan by his attorneys, Festus Ogun, Principal Counsel, and Damilola Desanya, Associate Counsel of FOLEGAL legal practitioners and consultants, the Inspector General of Police is urged to carry out investigation on what the petitioner described as “criminal misrepresentation of academic qualifications and forgery of NYSC certificate,” by the minister-designate.
In a petition dated August 7, 2023 and made available to newsmen, Mr. Benedict Olutan, a public interest lawyer, anti-corruption and good governance advocate, alleged that Tunji-Ojo was nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and forwarded his name to the Senate as minister-deeignate for clearance, but the documents submitted by the Tunji-Ojo were alleged to be questionable.
The petitioner alleged the Hon. Tunji-Ojo was further disqualified from being a minister having allegedly presented a forged Certificate to the National Assembly in line with Sections 147(5) and 66 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The petition reads inter alia: “In fulfillment of the constitutional requirements for qualification as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo presented questionable academic credentials and certificates (including an NYSC discharge certificate) to the National Assembly.
“In his Curriculum Vitae (CV) submitted to the Senate, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo stated that he was born on the 1st of May, 1982. Further, he claimed to have graduated from the London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom between 2003 and 2005.
“Curiously, about two decades after he purportedly graduated and at the age of 37, he purportedly enrolled for the compulsory. National Youths Service Corps (NYSC); at about the same time he was a Federal Lawmaker representing the people of Akoko North East/ Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State at the National Assembly.
“Under Sections 2(1) and 13(1) of the NYSC Act, 1993, every Nigerian under the age of 30 who completes his or her undergraduate degree shall report for compulsory Youth Service.
“Mr. Olubunmi Tunji- Ojo breached this law with reckless abandon. The failure of Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to report for service till about two decades after graduation is an offense punishable by not less than twelve months imprisonment.
“Secondly, by the clear provisions of Section 2(2)(a) of the NYSC Act, upon clocking the age of 30, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was no longer eligible to participate in NYSC. Despite his patent ineligibility to participate, in 2019 and at the age of 37, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo claimed that he participated in service.
“This is questionable. The NYSC Act and indeed the NYSC cannot allow a 37-year-old man to participate in the youth corps.
“Additionally, in 2019, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was a Federal Lawmaker who was very active in the activities of the House of Representatives.
“The probing question is: Was he at the NYSC Camp for three weeks? If yes, where did he participate in the compulsory camping? Where was his Place of Primary Assignment? Was he participating in the scheme and contemporaneously representing his people as a Federal Lawmaker?
“Even if his spurious claims are anything to go by, they are a violation of Section 13(2)(a) of the NYSC Act which provides that “any person who under the provisions of this Act is not eligible to participate in the service corps so participates or attempts to so participate is guilty of an offence” which is punishable by not less than two years imprisonment.
“In his case, the purported “Certificate of National Service” was suspiciously post-dated to 2023, over two years after he purportedly concluded the service.
“Instructively, only exemption certificates are issued to those above the age of 30. A graduate above the age of 30 like Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is not eligible to be issued a Certificate of Service.
“Our client, like every other well-meaning Nigerian with good conscience, has strong reasons to believe that the purported “Certificate of Service” is forged or doctored.”
“Our client is aware that the whole questionable circumstance surrounding the criminal misrepresentation of facts and suspected forgery in the NYSC certificate may be a desperate bid by Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to meet, through the backdoor, the constitutional requirements to become a Minister.
“In the light of the foregoing, I humbly implore you, Sir, to make use of your good office to investigate and probe this matter to a logical conclusion in a transparent manner and in the interest of Justice, fairness and sanity of our democratic system.
“We have absolute trust and unflagging confidence in the professional competence and impervious integrity of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that this matter is thoroughly investigated and proved within fourteen days, inclusive of the date of the receipt of this petition.”
The petitioner, therefore, promised to assist and cooperate with the Police in the course of investigation of the matter.
