The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) refuted the corruption allegation levelled against the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Boss, declared that it is a mere defamation.
In a statement issued to pressmen by the Vice president of the Council, Ambassador Akoshile Mukhtar in Abuja on the purported indictment of NIS leadership of corruption by one Nigeria Diaspora Alliance for Good Governance (NDAGG), the Vice President expressed his disappointment in the proliferation of fake Non-governmental organizations in Nigeria and their mischievous strategy of maligning Public office holders.
“In July 2021, a renowned international Researcher Mathew T. Page had reported the increasing rate of fake NGOs in Nigeria where he did a recognition guide to identify portfolio organizations and the individuals behind them, Oduma, the self-acclaimed National Coordinator of NDAGG is a prominent member of the circle”
Beyond that, the Vice President referred to the allegation against the current leadership of NIS as laughable because the service since the appointment of Mr Idris Jere as the acting Comptroller General of the Service has complied with the anti-corruption position of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the fight against passport issuance racketeers, when Mr Jere started flushing out the bad eggs, as in the case of the Passport Control Officer at the Ikoyi Passport office who was removed for extorting people.
“The Council is astonished with the level of positive transformation that the NIS has enjoyed since the appointment of Mr Idris Jere as the acting Comptroller General of the Service, before then NIS was a haven of passport issuance racketeers until Mr Jere started flushing out the bad eggs, as in the case of the Passport Control Officer at the Ikoyi Passport office who was removed for extorting people”
Furthermore, the Vice President expressed his displeasure on the activities of mischievous elements under the guise of some NGOs, especially as it affects the integrity of the institution that handles the production and distribution of one of the National identification documents to the world. Thus, Ambassador Akoshile asserted that a defamation of the leadership of the NIS is a defamation of the Service itself and the Council will ensure that the perpetuators who are obviously enemies of Nigeria would be fished out and prosecuted.
“We have identified an enemy of the state and we will stop at nothing to bring them to book. As enshrined in the Nigeria National Youth policy, the NYCN is the umbrella organization for all Youth organizations in the country, therefore it is within the mandate of the Council to monitor the activities of such organizations to ensure that claims are substantiated beyond reasonable doubts and ensure that the integrity of Nigeria is protected at all time”
However, the Vice President advised the blackmailers to desist from such action in the future to avoid merciless wrath of the law.