Court penalises NYSC N5 million over Enugu governor’s certificate saga

The National Youth Service Corps was on Monday slammed with N5 million damages for being mischievous in the discharge certificate issued to Enugu State governor, Barrister Peter Mbah.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided by Justice Inyang Ekwo handed down the penalty in the case of Mbah vs NYSC which the judge, held that the Director General of the NYSC and the corps, who were defendants in the suit, were guilty of misrepresentation of material facts.

The National Youth Service Corps alleged that the NYSC discharge certificate which Mbah was parading was fake.

The Justice Inyang Ekwo, however averred that the certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission by Mbah was authentic and validly issued by the NYSC, and the judge frowned at how an institution could told the Court lies.

According to the Judge, there was proof that the governor though was mobilised for service in 2001, completed his service in 2003 and was duly issued a discharge certificate.

He explained that Mbah, midway into his service, sought and received permission from NYSC to attend the Nigerian Law School.

Besides, the judge said that while the evidence that Mbah served in the law firm of one Udeh was not challenged by the NYSC, he berated the corps for not charging the governor with forgery if they actually believed that they didn’t issue the said NYSC certificate to him.

He concluded that the NYSC was mischievous and acted in bad faith by denying Mbah’s NYSC certificate.