NYSC Certificates: 11 Answers to Pressing Questions

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There have been several questions from my readers on NYSC and the issuance of certificates. This post contains the direct answers to that collection of questions. I'll be talking about how and where to collect a certificate, what to do if a certificate is lost, and much more.

1. Where Will NYSC Certificate Be Issued

Certificate of National Service is issued to State Secretariats at the Directorate headquarters through the State Certification Officers for delivery to deserving Corps members.

In certain conditions, however, NYSC may issue certificates to corps members at their local government of service. For instance, in coping with the COVID-19 protocol of social and physical distancing to contain the spread of the virus, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) revolved to issuing Certificates of National Service (CNS) to corps members who passed out on May 28, at local government councils.

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2. What are the Conditions to be Met Before NYSC Issues Discharged Certificates 

As a serving corps, there are certain things that must be done as required of you before you can merit the NYSC discharged certificate. As such, only Corps members duly discharged from the National Service and Certificated on presentation of;

1. letters of clearance from employers, 
2. CDS Inspectors and,
3. NYSC I.D card 

... are issued with Certificates.

However, even with the presentation of all the items listed above, a few other conditions may still hinder you from getting your discharge certificate. That takes us to the next question.

Recommended: Can I Serve at NYSC Two or More Times?

3. Why Will NYSC Withheld Discharged Certificates

1. If you have a pending disciplinary case, you won't be given your certificate until cleared. This may not necessarily mean you would have to serve again before being discharged. Depending on the nature of your offense, you might be called to report later to collect the certificate or be asked to serve again.
2. If you've benefited from War Against Poverty (WAP) loan facility, your certificate will only be issued on the full repayment of the loans.
3. If you don't present for the collection of the certificate on the passing out date. Such a certificate will be returned to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja. After which you may need to travel to the office to collect yours.

Most-Read Post: Does NYSC Use Year of Graduation or Year of Mobilization?

4. What Should I do If I Lose the Certificate of Discharge/or Exemption or Exclusion Letter? 

It's not uncommon to lose your NYSC certificates, exemption certificates, or conclusion letters. Below are the steps to follow in each case.

1. Lost NYSC Discharged or Exemptions Certificate?

In the case of a lost, burnt, damaged, or stolen Certificate, the following documents must be presented or sent to the NYSC secretariat of the state of service or National headquarters.

1. Police Extract/Report, 
2. Court Affidavit, 
3. Letter of Introduction from where the Ex-Corps member is discharged i.e. State of Service and
4. Where available, a copy of the lost Certificate

 

NOTE: NYSC doesn't reprint lost or burnt Certificates. Instead, they issue Letters of Confirmation that purposefully serve or represent your certificate and discharge of national service.

Recommended: Which Date of Birth Does NYSC Use For Mobilization?

2. Lost of NYSC Exclusion Letters?

If you lose, burn or damage your Exclusion letter, you only need to log into your NYSC registration portal. Log in with the email and password chosen during the registration. Locate the link to download and print your exclusion letter. Then, print.

NOTE: Exclusion letters are for NOUN, Part-time, and Sandwich graduates.

5. How Do I Report and Correct Errors on NYSC Certificates?

There are possible errors that may crop up on NYSC certificates or exclusion letters. The approach to solving these mistakes may be different depending on the very certificate.

1. Correcting Errors on Discharge or Exemption Certificates

Upon noticing any error on your Certificate, return it immediately to the State Certification Officer for possible correction where the error is traceable to NYSC. Certificates are produced based on what the Ex-Corps member penned on the format during the orientation exercise.

In other words, NYSC is ready to attend to only errors emerging from them - not from an institution, JAMB, or candidates themselves.

After the submission of letters to report the errors. You will need to report for the collection of the corrected certificate. Below are documents that must be presented to this effect.

1. Letter of Introduction from the NYSC State Secretariat addressed to the Director-General,
2. Handwritten application and 
3. Valid I.D Card (national, Voter's, Driver's Licence, or International passport)

Recommended: Differences Between NYSC Revalidation and Remobilization

2. Correcting Errors in Exclusion Letters

I'd seen a series of complaints from graduates of part-time programs from ESKU, LASU, NOUN, etc that there were mistakes on their exclusion letters. After taking the necessary steps, we found that what they'd observed as mistakes were not entirely mistakes. It's exactly what their schools submitted to NYSC.

The noticeable complaints include:

1. Wrong award names e.g. BSC ED instead of B. ED.
2. Wrong year of graduation 2016/2017 instead of 2015/2016
3. Wrong course name e.g. Chemistry instead of Chemistry Education
4. Wrong faculty e.g. Business Studies instead of Management

Hence, if you fall into this category and wish to know which is which, kindly report to your school of discard. You're more likely to be told, what you call errors were international by the management. If however, they are true errors, the management should guide you on how to resolve them.

Recommended: How to Contact NYSC for Support/Complaints?

6. Can I Collect NYSC Certificate Through Another Person or Proxy

NYSC doesn't issue a certificate by proxy. If you can't make it to the passing-out ground to collect your certificate, you can still go to the state secretariat within two weeks, following the event, before the unclaimed certificates are sent to Abuja. And if you can't make it within that period as well, you'll have to go to NYSC headquarters, Abuja to claim your certificate.

In the case of an exemption certificate, which is collectible at the individual institution, after it might have been sent to the registrars, you may not be able to collect it without your presence except your institution has provisions for collection by proxy

Recommended: Should I Laminate My Certificates and Results?

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