- Former Aviation Minister Senator Stella Oduah is facing eight counts of alleged non-compliance with the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
- The charges accuse Senator Oduah of conspiring to make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation’ in 2017 and submitting false credentials in 2011
- The prosecution alleges that Senator Oduah received salaries and allowances while falsely presenting herself as qualified for the positions of Minister and Senator, violating several sections of the law
Senator Stella Oduah, former Aviation Minister, has been charged again by the federal government.
Eight counts of alleged non-compliance with the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were filed against her before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The charges were filed on June 26, 2023, and were signed by Ochugwo Ogbeh and Ibrahim Mohammed of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Legal and Prosecution Department.
In the charge, Senator Oduah and one D.A.O Oshinowo (at large) were said to have some time in 2017 conspired to commit a felony to wit: make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation’.
Oduah was also accused of submitting her credentials to the federal government in 2011, along with an affidavit and an extract from her police diary claiming that she had lost her NYSC certificate, which resulted in her nomination as a cabinet minister and election as Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District.
The prosecution also claimed she received an aggregate sum of salaries and allowances while pretending to be qualified as a Minister and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The offences violate sections 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17; 156 of the Penal Code Act, which is punishable under section 158 of the same Act; and 1(1)(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Stella Oduah never completed service – NYSC
Following a request made by Concerned Anambra North Peoples Democratic Party Stakeholders, asking National Youth Service Corps to validate the Senator representing Anambra North, Stella Oduah’s claim of losing her NYSC certificate, the service has reacted.
The National Youth Service Corps declared in a letter that Stella Oduah, has no valid NYSC certificate.
An affidavit the senator attached to her CF001 forms which were submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2019, read;
“I, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, Christian, Adult, Nigeria Citizen, Politician of Umuoma Village, Akili, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, do hereby make oath and depose as follows:
- That I am the dependent of the affidavit.
- That I am a native of Akili Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
- Sometime in 2010, while in transit from Akili Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area to Abuja, I discovered that my personal belongings were missing.
- That the missing documents are the originals of my West African School Certificate of 1978 from Zixton Secondary School Ozubulu, First School Leaving Certificate from St. John Odoakpu Onitsha, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Certificate 1982 from St Paul’s College Lawrenceville Virginia USA, National Youth Service Corps Certificate 1983, National Identity Card, United States of America Social Security Card with the number on it.
- That all efforts to trace the missing documents proved abortive.
- That I made this affidavit in good faith believing same to be true and correct and in accordance with the Oaths Act.”