NYSC’s Certificates Now Embossed With Pictures

NYSC Acting Director, Certification, Alhaji Aliyu Taura (L) and Director, Press & Public Relations, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe, unveiling the newly improved NYSC Certificate in Abuja on Thursday /13/10/2015/JAU/BJO/NAN

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will begin to issue certificates of national service with the passport photographs of corps members as key features from Thursday. NYSC’s Director-General Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, who said this in Abuja at the unveiling of the newly improved certificate of national service, noted that it was part of efforts to check cases of fake corps members.

Olawumi, who spoke through Alhaji Aliu Daura, NYSC’s director of Certification, said the new certificate was produced to end all forms of fraud perpetuated by users of the old certificate.

His words: “In our concerted effort to make the operation of the NYSC conform with global best practices, the scheme engaged in the holistic “e-nysc solution” with effect from batch ‘C’ 2014, where prospective corps members register online before proceeding to the orientation camps. This resulted in the enhancement of issuance of NYSC certificates namely: Certificate of National Service, Certificate of Exemptions, and Letters of Exclusion.

The Nation report continues:

“With effect from Batch ‘C’ 2014, all certificates of national service bear passport photographs of the corps member at the upper right hand corner of the certificate.

“This is to guarantee the security of our certificates from forgery and to block all chances of impersonation. Therefore, Batch ‘C’ 2014 corps members, who are due to pass-out on Thursday, October 15, 2015, will have their certificates embossed with their photographs.

“Employers are encouraged to forward any certificate purportedly issued by the scheme for verification of its authenticity or otherwise.

“Effort is being made by the scheme to also make the verification of all NYSC certificates to be automated for easy access by the general public.”

Olawumi added that asides the passport photograph, the newly improved certificate also contained a back code with security numbers.

He said the improved certificate still featured the information in the old ones, except for the security features and passport photograph.

The director-general said it was only the NYSC that could locate the code and security numbers on the certificate, adding that the measure was adopted to further enhance the certificate’s security.

Olawumi added that previous certificates issued by the scheme were still valid and could be used by the owners.

NYSC’s Director of Press Mrs. Bose Aderibigbe said since the inception of the scheme 42 years ago, it had experienced cases of impersonation of the certificate.

Aderibigbe added that people often used certificates issued to other individuals to apply for jobs.

The new certificate, she said, would put an end to such cases as nobody would be able to use an NYSC certificate issued to another person to perpetrate fraud.