Tunji-Ojo NYSC Records: Court Orders Response, Fixes November 18
Federal High Court proceedings raise fresh questions about transparency and public access to the Interior Minister’s NYSC records as civil society organisation demands official documents.
The controversy surrounding the NYSC records of Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has taken a fresh legal dimension as the Federal High Court in Abuja directed the minister to respond to court processes in a suit seeking the release of documents relating to his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) participation. The development has renewed public interest in transparency, accountability and the verification of official records involving senior government officials.
Justice Salim Ibrahim issued the directive on Monday, October 19, 2026, during proceedings in a suit instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of Pathway to Equity and Charity Foundation. The civil society organisation is seeking judicial intervention to compel the NYSC and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to disclose records concerning Tunji-Ojo’s participation in the mandatory national service programme.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1812/2026, seeks access to several documents, including the minister’s NYSC mobilisation and posting letters, remobilisation approval, allowance payment records, Community Development Service documentation, attendance records and discharge certificate. According to the foundation, the requested documents are essential to establishing the circumstances surrounding the minister’s national service history and promoting public accountability.
During the proceedings, counsel to the minister, Abiola Olaniji, informed the court that an application had been filed seeking to join Tunji-Ojo as the third respondent in the matter. However, the foundation’s lawyer, Chief Solomon Akuma (SAN), opposed the application, arguing that the dispute principally concerns documents held by the NYSC and FCTA. Justice Ibrahim subsequently directed the minister to respond to the foundation’s counter-affidavit and adjourned the matter until November 18, 2026.
The legal battle has also brought renewed attention to the minister’s earlier NYSC documentation. In correspondence dated August 8, 2023, the NYSC reportedly acknowledged that Tunji-Ojo was initially mobilised in 2006 but left the programme before completing his service. The agency indicated that he was subsequently remobilised in 2019 and posted to the Federal Capital Development Authority for his primary assignment. His discharge certificate was reportedly produced in February 2023 following an application submitted through the FCT State Coordinator.
The foundation, through an affidavit deposed to by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Uchenna Ejimafor, maintained that its investigation raised questions requiring official clarification. It argued that the failure of the relevant institutions to release the requested documents warranted judicial intervention under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. However, the allegations remain subject to judicial determination, as the court has neither established wrongdoing against Tunji-Ojo nor ordered the immediate release of the disputed NYSC records.
Beyond the minister’s personal service history, the Tunji-Ojo NYSC records court case has intensified discussions about transparency, institutional accountability and citizens’ rights to obtain information concerning public officials. With the next hearing scheduled for November 18, 2026, attention will focus on the court’s consideration of the minister’s application and the foundation’s request for disclosure, a decision that could have wider implications for access to official records in Nigeria.
