President Muhammadu Buhari is expecting the resignation of the Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, over his failure to participate in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
The minister had failed to participate in the scheme after his graduation from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Osun State.
He had in an interview said he believed having been elected a lawmaker shortly after his graduation, he needed not to participate in the national service because his membership of the state assembly was itself a “service.”
But the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress had recently disqualified him from contesting for the party’s governorship ticket in Oyo State based on the issue.
Meanwhile, top sources in the government told our correspondent on Friday that President Muhammadu Buhari had also asked the embattled minister to do the “needful.”
One of the sources said Buhari had made it clear that the minister did not have to wait for him (the President) to act before doing the proper thing in this instance.
He said, “The truth is that the President has made his position known to the minister and there are witnesses.
“What the President said was that people should not be waiting for him to act the way he did in the case of a former Minister of Finance (Mrs Kemi Adeosun) before they do what is needful.
“I am sure he is very clear on the matter the way he addressed the issue, and the minister understands this.”
The presidential spokesmen, Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina, could not be reached on the telephone for comment as of the time of filing this report on Friday.
When contacted on the telephone on Friday, the minister told our correspondent that he would speak with our correspondent next week.
When asked if the President had asked him to do the needful on the matter, Shittu said, “I am hearing that from you.”
