Sowore Reveals NYSC’s Refusal To Issue Certificate Due to Military-Era Activism, 29 Years After Completion
Sowore explained that he was serving at Adamawa Television Station in 1995 when he condemned the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa during a live broadcast.
Omoyele Sowore, Nigerian activist and former presidential candidate, has revealed that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has refused to issue him a certificate nearly 30 years after he completed his service due to his political activism during the military era.
Speaking in a recent interview on AIT Kakaaki Social, Sowore recounted how his involvement in pro-democracy activism during the military regime of General Sani Abacha led to his arrest and eventual denial of his NYSC certificate.
Sowore explained that he was serving at Adamawa Television Station in 1995 when he condemned the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa during a live broadcast.
“I was campaigning against the military and I worked in a TV station – Adamawa Television. And when Ken Saro-Wiwa was killed in November 1995, I was doing a show, and I said that this was unjust. My executive director didn’t vet it, you know. And he played, and he had to shut down the station, and they bundled me out of the station,” he said.
According to Sowore, the incident led to his arrest on the day of his passing-out parade. He was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) and transferred to the Air Force base in Yola, where he was accused of calling for the overthrow of the Abacha regime.
He said, “They were paying me like N15 in addition to what NYSC paid at that time. And they gave me a mattress and they drove back to where I was and removed the mattress and the pillow.
“So, for the rest of the time I was in the NYSC, I was sleeping on the floor. And then, on the day of my final graduation, I was arrested by the DSS and then transferred to the Air Force base in Yola, kept in the guard room. When I asked the Air Force guy what was my offence, they said one of the times that because I also stayed in the Air Force base in Yola at an officer’s mess with a doctor, a friend of mine, Doctor Bello.
“So, they said that while I was there, they overheard me discussing that the Abacha regime should be overthrown.”
“I was arrested on the day of the passing-out parade. After I had completed (the programme). It was when I was waiting to collect the certificate that I was arrested,” he said.
Sowore said his legal team, led by Femi Falana, sued NYSC over the matter. While the court ruled that he should complete the internal complaint process, NYSC insisted on an additional six-month extension in Sokoto, which Sowore refused.
“So, we decided that it was a trap,” he said.
“I can’t go back and complete something that I have already completed,” he said, adding that he wrote to NYSC last year, urging them to return his certificate.
But according to him, they gave him the usual bureaucracy runaround.
“And last year, I wrote to the NYSC that I think common sense should prevail, return my certificate to me and they started, you know, the usual bureaucracy that my letter stated the name of the director before the director general,” he said.
Sowore compared his experience with that of other activists who have faced similar treatment. He cited the case of the late Bamidele Aturu, who had his certificate seized after refusing to shake hands with a military governor, and Femi Falana, whose certificate was eventually returned during the Oputa Panel.
The activist’s remarks came while he was speaking about the ongoing #30DayRantChallenge initiated by Ushie Rita Uguamaye, an NYSC member serving in Lagos. Ushie launched the challenge to express frustration over the worsening economic and social conditions under the Tinubu government.
Sowore praised Ushie’s courage in starting the challenge despite facing political pressure and intimidation. “I really appreciate what she did. I was surprised by her immense courage. We were worried she might succumb to pressure, but she didn’t,” he said.
According to Sowore, Ushie was pressured by a senator from her constituency and was even invited by the Chief of Staff to the President for a meeting in Abuja, which she refused. After rejecting the invitations, Ushie reportedly faced a smear campaign, with her critics trying to discredit her moral standing.
“They started slut-shaming her and circulating her photographs to silence her. But she stood her ground. I hope she stays the course,” Sowore added.
Sowore encouraged other Nigerians to continue the #30DayRantChallenge in solidarity with Ushie.
“I don’t rant. I take action. But resistance can take different forms—some online, some on the ground. The goal is to unite and end oppression in this country,” he said.
