The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said the APC Senator representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah, does not have a valid NYSC certificate, and whatever she has been presenting is a forgery.
The Concerned Anambra North Peoples Democratic Party Stakeholders, which sought to validate the claim by the Senator that she lost her NYSC certificate, had petitioned the director general of the service.
He said though Oduah was mobilised for national service in 1982/83 service year and was deployed to Lagos State, she absconded after the orientation and never completed the service.
“The consequence of this is that she is not qualified for the issuance of the certificate of national service”, the D-G l wrote in the letter that was signed on his behalf by Eddy Megwa.
The letter, dated 24th, May 2022, was referenced NYSC/DHQ/PPRU/783/ VILIII.
In 2014, Oduah deposed to an affidavit and obtained a police extract where she stated that she sometime in 2010 while in transit from Akili in Ogboru, to Abuja, she discovered that some of her personal belongings were missing.
A report by the Daily Post publishing affidavit states: “I Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, Christian, Adult , Nigeria Citizen, Politician of Umuoma Village, Akili, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State do hereby make oath and depose as follows:
1. That I am the dependent of the affidavit.
2. That I am a native of Akili Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
3. That sometime in 2010 while in transit from Akili Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area to Abuja I discovered that my personal belongings were missing.
4. That the missing documents are the originals of my West African School Certificate of 1978 from Zixton Secondary School Ozubulu, First School Leaving Certificate from St. John Odoakpu Onitsha, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Certificate 1982 from St Paul’s College Lawrencevile Virginia USA, National Youth Service Corps Certificate 1983, National Identity Card, United States of America Social Security Card with the number on it.
5. That all efforts are to trace the missing documents proved abortive.
6. That I made this affidavit in good faith believing same to be true and correct and in accordance with the Oaths Act.”
Oduah presented the affidavit during her screening for ministerial appointment b the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
By law, anybody serving I public with qualifications up to university degrees is required to have served the NYSC mandatory one-year service.
Former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun breached the law same way Oduah did.