A former corps member, Oyelere Akinkunmi Oluwatobi, has narrated how he had been denied a State Honours Award and the entitlements by the management of the National Youths Service Corps of Ogun State.
Oluwatobi, with state code OG/18B/0065, narrated to The PUNCH, how, despite carrying out an outstanding Community Development Service Project, that was recommended for State Honours Award in 2019, the Ogun State board of NYSC had since failed to facilitate his award from the State government.
The PUNCH obtained copies of letters recommending Tobi for State award by the vice principals and principal of Baptist Girls College, Lisabi Grammar School, and Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi Aba, respectively, where he carried out sustainable development goals oriented projects as his personal CDS.
Another document, signed on June 6, 2019, by the Permanent Secretary of the Ogun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Oluwaseye Adeyemo, was directed to the NYSC State Coordinator, recommending the ex-corps member for the state award.
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Tobi, who served at the Ogun State Ministry of Tourism in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, said that, since 2019, the NYSC state board had refused to process his awards despite his outstanding performance and recommendations.
“I embarked on a series of personal projects. Along the line, the places where I did those projects, they recommended me to NYSC for State Honours Award.
“Since July 2019 when I finished service, and up till this moment, I have not received the award meant for me.
“I do call the people in charge, but they kept posting me.
“They said that I deserved the award because I did an approved personal CDS project in the community. I didn’t lobby for the award, I merited it.
“I was called directly from the state NYSC, they congratulated me that I was due for the award,’’ he said.
Tobi revealed to The PUNCH, a picture of the certificate that confirmed the award, which was meant to be signed by the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dr. Dapo Abiodun; the Chairman of the State Governing Board, Mr. Fagbohun Kolawole; and the State Coordinator of NYSC; Dr. Belinda Faniyi.
The certificate was still yet to be signed.
Tobi noted that he had always reached out to the persons in charge of discipline and honors. One of them, identified simply as Mrs. Pedro, was claimed by Tobi to have recently stopped answering his calls.
“I used to call the person in charge, Mrs. Pedro. She was in the department of discipline and honors.
Tobi also noted that another person that was in charge of the process was the then Assistant Director of CDS, Alhaja Kuburat Ashogbon, who was said to have been transferred to Kaduna.
He said that, according to Mrs. Pedro, Alhaja Kuburat was supposed to be the one to take the file to the State Coordinator for proper signing.
He argued that the transfer of Alhaja Kuburat should not disturb the processing of his awards since 2019.
“Government is continuous, whosoever comes into that office since 2019 should see my files,’’ he argued.
However, Mrs. Pedro, when contacted by our correspondent, refused to comment on the matter.
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