Mixed reactions have trailed Davido’s failure to fully observe the mandatory three weeks National Youth Service Corps orientation programme.
The pop star jetted out to Boston in the United States ahead of his sold out ‘Locked Up’ concert.
The concert kicked off on Friday night.
Afterwards, he performed at opening day of Jay-Z’s Made In America Festival over the weekend in Philadelphia, U.S.
Pictures of Davido decked in NYSC uniform last week elicited mixed reactions from the public who doubted if the superstar would truly stay confined to the Lagos camp in Iyana-Ipaja.
Davido, 26, was one of the 2,152 Batch ‘B’ Stream II corps members sworn-in at the NYSC orientation camp, Ipaja on Tuesday.
Shomoye Adeboye, a social media commentator, said he has written an open letter to the DG of the National Youth Service Scheme, Maharazu Tsiga, in light of the double standard demonstrated by NYSC officials.
Many Nigerians have also expressed divergent views as to whether the “IF” crooner has flouted the by-laws guiding the NYSC scheme with his travel.
But PREMIUM TIMES’ findings reveal that the singer may have already broken Rule 15 (i) and (ii) of the NYSC camp rules when he arrived the campground on Tuesday.
The law states, “Any member who brings vehicles or motorcycles to camp shall not be registered, and if already registered, shall be decamped. Such member shall only be allowed to return to service to join the next batch in the orientation camp.”
But Davido arrived the Iyana Ipaja Camp, chauffeur driven in a conspicuously white car amidst fanfair and jubilation by his fellow corps members and officials.
Also, excerpts from the NYSC bye-laws revised in 1993 give strict rules for corps members during the orientation period.
According to Schedule 1:3b: “During the period of orientation, every member shall:
(i) Attend regularly, punctually and participate fully in all official engagements on the field, at lecture and all places of work;
(ii) Not leave the Orientation Camp or absent himself from any official activity without the written consent of the State Director or his representative;
(iii) When absent from his duties on account of illness ensure that such absence is covered by an “Excuse Duty Certificate” issued by a medical doctor then on duty at the camp.”
It also states penalties for leaving the camp without the permission of the State Director.
Also, Schedule 2:1b states that:
“The following penalties shall be imposed in the following circumstances.
“Leaving the camp without permission of the State Director” will attract “extension of the service year by double the number of days for which the member was absent from his camp and forfeiture of his allowance for the same number of days of which he was absent.”
Therefore, for Davido not to have flouted these laws, he must have secured ‘written consent’ from the state director of NYSC to leave the camp and travel for his foreign trips.
Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to confirm from the NYSC if such permission was sought and secured