The National Youth Service Corps has said only 3,420 foreign graduates out of the 20,000 who uploaded their certificates online came to defend their certificates.
The NYSC added that it would intensify its fight against fake graduates and fake certificates to fish out anyone ineligible to participate in the national service.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, stated these in Abuja when he visited former Head of State and founder of the scheme, Gen Yakubu Gowon, according to a statement on Tuesday.
The NYSC began a policy of physical verification of foreign-trained graduates with the Batch C orientation programme.
It means foreign graduates who uploaded certificates online must come to defend them.
The DG said, “Out of a total of 20,000 foreign graduates who applied online for national service in the Batch C exercise, only 3,420 showed up to defend their credentials.
“This is because we warned them earlier that if they were not qualified, they should not show up.
“Awareness is also being created on the NYSC Act and the need for qualified foreign graduates to make themselves available for service immediately after graduation as enshrined in the Act.”
Gowon commended the NYSC for its efforts to transform the country’s youths to contribute to national growth and development.
Meanwhile, the NYSC DG also noted that some of the arrested fake corps members during the Batch B Orientation Exercise had been prosecuted and jailed.
He stated this during a visit to the Kubwa Orientation Camp in Abuja, but did not disclose the number of convictions or names.
“In the Batch B streams 1 and 2, we made several arrests and some have been prosecuted and jailed,” Ibrahim added.
