SaharaReporters had detailed how some workers in the agency accused the new NYSC boss of being a stooge to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
The Anti-corruption Vanguard has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate and sack the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig Gen Mohammed Fadah, over alleged incompetence and corruption.
The group disclosed this in an open letter to the President signed by its Executive Secretary, Joshua Agbo.
According to Agbo, the action followed the failure of the NYSC to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request on a story by SaharaReporters and other allegations.
SaharaReporters had detailed how some workers in the agency accused the new NYSC boss of being a stooge to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
Fadah, who is from Yobe State, had taken over from Major-General Shuaibu Ibrahim in May 2022 after his two-year tenure.
Sources had said he was nominated as the Director-General of the NYSC by Lawan ahead of his presidential ambition with plans to use the NYSC as a conduit pipe to fund his election.
Though he was announced as the consensus candidate by the All Progressives Congress’ national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the Senate President lost the primary to a former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu.
Some workers in the NYSC who did not want to be mentioned for fear of reprisal told SaharaReporters that Brigadier Fadah “is indiscriminate in what subhead he moves money from as long as he is able to pull out cash.”
However, Anti-corruption Vanguard in its letter to the President listed alleged age/academic records falsification, illegal recruitment of 700 workers at NYSC with priority on northern Muslims, financial misappropriation, non-participation in one year mandatory NYSC scheme, nepotism and gross abuse of office as the “sins” of Fadah.
Copied in the letter titled “BRIG GEN M.K FADAH DESTROYING NYSC 40 YEARS LEGACY IN (3) MONTHS: MR PRESIDENT SAVE NYSC NOW!” were Save Humanity Advocacy Center(SHAC) , a front line civil advocacy group, Minister of Youths and Sport and and Chief of Army Staff.
The petition partly read, “Rising from the 12th emergency expanded session of the joint forums via zoom on August 10th 2023, the expanded caucus debriefs the stakeholders and the general public as follows:
“2. The forum determines that a secret employment scheme is ongoing by the Brig Gen Fadah-led management of NYSC. This is against the open policy of federal character and transparency.
“3. The Forum commended the NYSC governing board for directing a stop on the illegal and secret employment scheme. 4. The forum observes that Brig Gen Fadah has proceeded with the secret employment scheme while prioritising only Muslims against federal character principle and against the vision of the NYSC for national unity and cohesion.
“5. Forum accuses the management of unaccounted and bogus expenditure while at the same time spending hundreds of millions promoting NYSC trust fund bill. This is quite contradictory. Forum designate the NYSC trust fund bill as a mere conduit pipe for NYSC management.
“6. Forum recommends an extensive audit of all NYSC ventures as it constitute a major looting avenue. How can NYSC that claims to illegally generate billions of naira for the federal government be complaining of lack of funds and asking for a trust fund?
“7. Forum observes that NYSC under Gen Fadah has turned itself into a revenue generating agency far from the core mandate of national unity and cohesion. 8. Forum resolved to investigate the controversies over the birth and academic records of the director general as a check on NYSC portal suggest the deliberate omission of key info on Brig Gen M.K Fadah bio. No date of birth, no primary/secondary school attended. Forum resolved to request that those info be provided and uploaded on the DG's bio for transparency.
“10. Forum observes that the DG is shady on whether or not he participated in the one year of mandatory service to the nation before joining the military; the same NYSC he heads today. Forum demands an inclusion of this important info on the DG's bio for transparency for public knowledge.
“11. Forum has evidence of NYSC funds been disbursed from private accounts for various undocumented purposes. (A thorough audit of special duties department and NYSC ventures is recommended). 12. Forum asks for redeployment of directors/state coordinators at the NYSC headquarters and state offices to check the spate of corruption at NYSC.
“RESOLUTIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS TO CSO JOINT TASK FORCE; 1. (14) days ultimatum for Brig General Fadah to resign as director general of NYSC and submit himself for prosecution. 2. (7) days protests to call for the resignation of the DG NYSC and redeployment of all directors and state coordinators.
“3. DEMAND FOR SUSPENSION OF PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT ON NYSC Trust fund Bill since NYSC has turned itself into a revenue generating agency with claims of remittances to the federation account in billions of naira. 4. Demand for immediate cancellation of so called illegal employment of (700) northerners under the guise of replacement.
"Notice of nationwide protest is hereby given effective upon congress further directive" the memo conveyed. Aluta continua! Victoria Ascerta.”