2015, after 34 years in the United States (US), and enrolled to serve
the country under the National Youth Service Corps scheme. He told The
Guardian why he took the action, sharing his experiences;
Why didn’t you serve immediately you graduated?
I
left Nigeria at age of 21 in 1982. I graduated in the United States
(US) at age of 24. You have to undertake the National Youth Service
Corps (NYSC) programme on Nigerian soil. I stayed, schooled and worked
in the US for 34 years, so the opportunity or the awareness was not
there. I returned to Nigeria at the age of 54 years in 2015. All of my
university studies were in the US.
I actually did not know I was
not exempted until I approached NYSC, trying to get an exemption
letter, and the official in charge explained to me that I was not
exempted and that I must serve, because it is mandatory, so long I was
below 30 when I got my undergraduate degree. He explained how unfair it
would be for those Nigerians similarly placed who did not leave the
country and had to serve. I got the message clearly and I served.
What made you want to participate in the scheme, years after graduation and having grown older?
I
did not want to do it. I needed to enter into the professions and my
NYSC certificate or exemption certificate was requested in some places I
went to. So, I went to NYSC office in Maitama, Abuja.They asked me to
go and bring my credentials. I finally did. When they examined my
credentials, they computed the age at which I got my first degree and
said I must serve, that there is no exemption certificate for me,
because when I got my first degree, I was less than 30 years old. So, I
enrolled and did the NYSC and passed out in December last year.
What were your experiences in service?
Interesting. I
was posted first to the State House/Presidency, but was rejected
outright. As far as I know, three of us were posted to the State House:
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s daughter, Dr. Tabiti, and I. The only
person taken at the State House of all of us was Osinbajo’s 20 something
year old daughter. I found that interesting. Mind you, Osinbajo and I
were schoolmates at Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos as teenagers.
I
then tried to serve at Osinbajo’s Simmons Cooper Law firm, but I was
also rejected. Shortly thereafter, Osinbajo was on the front page of
national newspapers urging MDAs to stop rejecting corps members. Should
charity not start at home? More so, with the government of change? I
wrote a protest letter to Osinbajo on that hypocrisy, but he never
responded to my letter. I ended doing my primary assignment at
the Supreme Court of Nigeria. It was a worthwhile experience learning a
great deal about Nigerian laws.
