ADEOSUN’s CERTIFICATE SCANDAL: SERAP drags NYSC to court

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier-General Sule Kazaure and the NYSC over the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun’s certificate scandal.

SERAP anchored its suit on the failure of NYSC and its DG to publish specific documents and information on the minister’s application for NYSC exemption.

The organisation is also through its suit, seeking to compel them to explain if Adeosun obtained any Exemption Certificate from the NYSC.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1369/18 filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, SERAP is seeking “an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling General Kazaure and the NYSC to urgently provide specific documents and information on Mrs. Kemi Adeosun’s application to the NYSC for Exemption and to publish widely including on a dedicated and on the NYSC website, any such information.”

The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information request dated August 2, 2018 to General Kazaure, giving him seven days to provide “information on specific details and documents on the Exemption Certificate applied for and obtained by Mrs. Adeosun; clarify whether the NYSC actually granted her the Exemption Certificate and if it did, the circumstances and the provisions of the NYSC Act under which the Exemption Certificate was granted.”

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The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its counsel, Ms. Bamisope Adeyanju read in part: “Suspicions of obtaining unauthorised certificate involving a senior member of the government if not urgently and satisfactorily addressed would weaken public trust in the government’s oft-expressed commitment to transparency and accountability.

“By the combined provisions of section 104(1) of the Evidence Act, 2011 and sections 14(2)(b) 14(3) and 19(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, the NYSC, being the public institution in charge of issuing exemption certificates from the compulsory NYSC Programme, and having publicly declared that Mrs. Adeosun applied for exemption, has a duty to provide SERAP with details and documents containing the application for exemption and the exemption certificate itself, if it was granted.

“Mandamus lies to secure the performance of a public duty in the performance which SERAP has a sufficient legal interest. SERAP has shown that it has demanded the performance of the duty by the NYSC in this case, and that performance has been refused by the Director-General of the NYSC obliged to discharge it.”

“The right of access to information should be subject to a narrow, carefully tailored system of exceptions. Exceptions should apply only where there is a risk of substantial harm to the protected interest and where that harm is greater than the overriding public interest in having access to the information.”

Among other things the suit is seeking the following reliefs:

“A declaration that the failure of the Respondents to provide the Applicant with specific documents and information on Mrs Kemi Adeosun’s application to it for NYSC Exemption is unlawful and amounts to a breach of the Respondents’ responsibility/obligation under the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

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“An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the Respondents to urgently provide the Applicant with specific documents and information on Mrs. Kemi Adeosun’s application to it for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Exemption and to publish widely including on a dedicated and on the NYSC website, any such information.

“A declaration that the failure of the respondents to provide the applicant with specific documents and information on the following:

“i. the procedure under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to “apply” for NYSC Exemption;

“ii. whether an authorized official of the NYSC actually issued an Exemption Certificate to Mrs. Kemi Adeosun;

“iii. if NYSC did issue the NYSC Exemption Certificate, the circumstances and the provisions of the NYSC Act under which the Exemption Certificate was granted; and to publish widely including on a dedicated website and on the NYSC website, any such information, is unlawful and amounts to a breach of the Respondent’s obligation under the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

“An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the Respondents to urgently provide the Applicant with specific documents and information on the following:

i. the procedure under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to ‘apply’ for NYSC Exemption;

“ii. whether an authorized official of the NYSC actually issued an Exemption Certificate to Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; if NYSC did issue the NYSC Exemption Certificate, the circumstances and the provisions of the NYSC Act under which the Exemption Certificate was granted; and to publish widely including on a dedicated website and on the NYSC website, any such information.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

 

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