The Senate has said that due process was followed in the appointment of the new Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The Senate said it arrived at the conclusion after due consideration of the report of the Committee on Youth and Sports Development, led by Senator Ogba Obinna, on Thursday at the Plenary.
The report was titled, ‘Investigation of the Appointment of the New Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps by the Chief of Army Staff.’
Making its findings and subsequent decision on the matter known via its verified Twitter handle @NGRSenate on Thursday, the announcement states, “The Senate agrees after a thorough investigation that due process was followed in the appointment of the new DG of NYSC.”
It may be recalled that the Nigerian Army had, on April 26th, announced Shuaibu Ibrahim as the new DG of the NYSC.
The new posting, which was one of a series announced by the Army on the same day, was disclosed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sagir Musa, and stated that Ibrahim was from the Nigerian Army University, Biu.
He took over from Suleiman Kazaure with immediate effect.
However, some critics faulted Ibrahim’s appointment, arguing that his posting was illegally done because, the critics said, “the Army does not have the power to appoint a DG for the NYSC.”
They noted that such power was the exclusive preserve of the president and Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces as provided for in the NYSC Act, which is the scheme’s enabling act.
The critics based their position on Section 5 of the NYSC Act, which states: “(I) There shall be for the service corps a Director-General who shall be appointed by the President. (2) The Director-General shall be the chief executive and shall be charged with the general responsibility for matters affecting the day-to-day running of the service corps. (3) The Director-General shall be assisted by directors at the National Directorate headquarters and State coordinators at the State headquarters.”
They added that neither the 1999 Constitution, nor the Armed Forces Act which “provides for the command, maintenance and administration of the Armed Forces of the Federation (including the Nigerian Army)” empowers the Army to make such posting or provides exception to the aforementioned provision of the NYSC Act.
The Senate laid the arguments to rest by confirming on Thursday that due process was followed in the appointment of the new Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Shuaibu Ibrahim.
