By Suzan Ipieurim, Kate Itam And Fortune Erim
As reactions continue to trail the invalidation of certificates given to 93 unqualified persons fraudulently included in the mobilization portal for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the University of Calabar (UNICAL), has cleared the air on the saga.
The University in a 20-point press release signed by its Registrar Gabriel Egbe, said the institution considers the action taken by NYSC to be a helpful step towards dealing a crushing blow on criminal impunity and desperation in the institution.
UNICAL while commending the Corps for the revelation, however, noted that it is necessary to let the public know the facts about the whole uncanny story of the infiltration of the school portal with unqualified names for exemption from, and participation in national service.
The Management averred it should be noted that it was the school who first exposed the criminal act and brought to the notice of NYSC and other organizations, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offenses Commission (ICPC) and not the other way round.
The school said its internal investigations revealed 178 names in the fraud, not the 93 revealed by NYSC, calling on ICPC to conclude its investigation to truly unravel what has remained a mystery as management strongly believe that invalidation of certificates of the culprits alone will not unmask the faces behind the fraudulent act.
The 20-point release reads below:
1. The Management of the University of Calabar has read about the invalidation of certificates given to 93 unqualified persons fraudulently included in the mobilization portal for NYSC. We consider the action taken by NYSC to be a helpful step towards dealing a crushing blow on criminal impunity and desperation. While commending the Corps for this move, it is necessary to let the public know the facts about the whole uncanny story of the infiltration of our university portal with unqualified names for exemption from, and participation in, national service.
2. It should be noted that it was the University Management that exposed this criminal act and brought it to the attention of NYSC and other organizations, and not the other way round.
3. In September 2023, internal sources brought to our attention that a certain individual who had not graduated was on national service purportedly from our institution. We quickly launched an investigation which confirmed the allegation and revealed 10 more cases of infiltration of the NYSC portal.
4. Arising from this report, we wrote on 4th October, 2023 to NYSC appealing that those 11 persons involved be apprehended and prosecuted.
5. On the 24th of October NYSC responded in line with our resolve to launch a full scale investigation into the issue.
6. On the 31st of Oct, the University wrote to ICPC Uyo Resident Office inviting the agency to wade into the matter.
7. Though management had agreed to work quietly with NYSC and security agencies to apprehend the culprits, we had to set up a full scale investigative committee due to unfolding events. The committee concluded its work on the 18th of December, 2023. Meanwhile, NYSC was notified on the 5th of November of the committee. The investigation revealed a staggering 167 new cases of criminal infiltration of the portal, making a total of 178 persons.
9. We wish to state, as contained in the report, that the names involved were definitely not found in the records of the university as having graduated. The records include: Senate Approved Results (SAR), summary list (for printing of certificates), and master list (in NYSC format for upload), all presented by respective departments.
10.Categorically, the names were not presented by the departments and were not uploaded on the portal, hence they are not found in the hard copies printed from that portal and presented to NYSC in pre-mobilisation workshops.
11. In other words, these unqualified people were not mobilized by the university, as a matter of fact; but were somehow smuggled into the portal, from where we do not know. Not having these names in our graduation or mobilization list clearly means that their certificates purportedly from our university are also fake.
12.The investigation necessitated the suspension of the Data Entry Officer, Mr. Obi Obi Endurance who is being investigated by ICPC.
13.Resolved on maintaining the integrity of the institution, management and academic excellence of the university, on the 1st of February, 2024, a letter was sent to NYSC, which was received on the 6th of February, 2024. It contained the findings and recommendations of the investigation with all details of the 178 names, stating their suspicious matriculation numbers and departments.
14.The same letter was forwarded to ICPC, Abuja Office, Federal Ministry of Education and NUC urging those agencies and organizations to assist the university investigate further, apprehend and deal with the culprits accordingly.
15.15. This necessitated the Vice-Chancellor of the University visiting and engaging the NYSC Director-General on this matter. A meeting was held with the D-G and the Directors to unravel how these names were mobilized.
16.Management of the university wishes to assure the general public and especially our esteemed Alumni that the University of Calabar remains committed to maintaining the culture of excellence that this administration has fought hard to enthrone since 2021 despite the odds.
17.The release by the Corps is sequel to the above developments.
Mentioning the University of Calabar in this saga does not, and should not, in any way diminish the phenomenal achievements already recorded by the present university administration in an all-round re-positioning for efficiency
18.We share the confidence that, in the same patriotic spirit of exposing these 93 names as we had urged, NYSC would equally issue a release about the remaining 85 persons out of the 178 reported by the University without any prompting.
19. We also call on ICPC to please conclude its investigation (which we know is in progress) to truly unravel what has remained a mystery to the management of the university as we strongly believe that invalidation of certificates or DeKitting of these culprits alone will not unmask the faces behind this fraudulent act.
20. We cherish NYSC as a partner in progress and wish to use this opportunity to appreciate and re-state our commitment to working with the Corps and other relevant agencies to unravel the source of infiltration of the mobilization portal that is strictly regulated by NYSC