Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications, reportedly failed to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

Premium Times is reporting that the minister skipped the compulsory programme despite graduating from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) at age 25.

The NYSC act makes it compulsory for all Nigerians who earn degrees or higher national diplomas from tertiary institutions in Nigeria and abroad (effective 1972/73 session) to participate in the scheme.

The only exemption, according to the act, are those who graduated after the age of 30, persons with national honours and individuals who serve in the military and intelligence organisations.

The minister was said to have immediately joined politics after graduation, rather than participating in the one-year national service.

He studied law at OAU in 1978 and upon graduation from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, in 1979, was elected a member of the Oyo state house of assembly.

Reacting, Shittu was quoted as saying he did not need to participate in the scheme since he had been elected lawmaker.

He reportedly said: “The constitution provides for the qualification needed for state assembly members, NYSC is not there. I didn’t need it to become a member of the state assembly, and that is already a service.”

The development comes a week after Kemi Adeosun resigned as minister of finance over her forged NYSC exemption certificate.