Court overrules NYSC on power to deny graduates' mobilisation over Maths

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has declared as unlawful the decision by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to deny Nigerian graduates participation in the compulsory one-year national youth service for not possessing credit passes in O' Level Mathematics.

This was the judgement delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris in a suit instituted by a Nigerian graduate from a foreign intitution, Mr. Terna Tarka, who was allegedly denied mobilisation on the grounds that he does not have a credit pass in Mathematics in his O' Level certificate examination.

In enforcing the policy, the NYSC had allegedly claimed that it was relying on a directive from the Ministry of Education which purportedly halted mobilisation of all graduates without credit passes in Mathematics. After being denied mobilisation on the said grounds, Tarka filed this action, through his lawyer, Mr. Adekunle Oyesanya, SAN, to contest the policy.

The defendants in the suit are Chairman, National Directorate of the National Youth Service Corps and the Minister of Education, as second and third defendants respectively.

In his judgement, Justice Idris said nothing in the NYSC's powers as provided under Sections 2 (i) (b) of the National Youth Service Corps Act, Cap N84, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 empowers the corps to deny anybody mobilisation for lacking credit pass in Mathematics.

The court further said that the policy the NYSC is relying on is not recognised by law. Justice Idris consequently gave an order compelling the NYSC to register the plaintiff in the next batch of the NYSC scheme or in the alternative to exempt the plaintiff from participating in the scheme and issue him with a certificate of exemption. - National Mirror.