According to Punch paper, Hannatu Musawa, the recently appointed Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, has acknowledged that she is currently serving as a corps member. This admission comes in response to demands for her removal due to her active participation in the scheme.
Musawa insisted that she had not broken any part of the laws of the National Youths Service Corps in a statement titled, “My personal statement on my status as a serving minister” made available to The PUNCH on Sunday noting that her appointment by President Bola Tinubu has followed a barrage of media attacks and misinformation about her.
She said, “It is true I am currently a corps member which I began eight months ago as a matter of duty and devotion to my country, having been unable to complete the scheme since I was first mobilised in 2001.
Regarding my current position as a minister and my status as a serving corps member, I want to clarify that I am not in violation of any laws or the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. The constitution and the NYSC Act do not prohibit a serving corps member from being appointed by the President or any other appointing authority into political positions.
Furthermore, there is no provision in our existing laws or the NYSC Act that states a corps member must complete their service before being eligible for appointment into political office. There are no legal or constitutional restrictions whatsoever. I have not committed any unlawful acts in Nigeria.
I would also like to mention a ruling by Justice Taiwo in a case heard by a Federal High Court in Abuja in 2021. The ruling stated that it is not necessary to present a first-degree certificate or any other certificate, including the NYSC certificate, in order to be appointed as a minister in the country.
Speaking about the delay in her NYSC program, Musawa explained that she began the mandatory national service in 2001 after finishing university and was initially deployed to Akwa-Ibom State. However, she was unable to complete the service that same year due to family obligations after being redeployed to Kaduna State.
Despite this setback, Musawa has always been determined to fulfill her national duty whenever given the opportunity. Last year, she applied to NYSC to be mobilized again for national service. NYSC kindly mobilized and deployed her to serve in Abuja, where she has been serving for the past eight months before her current appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nevertheless, the minister is calling on Nigerians to support her in her new assignment as she looks forward to completing her NYSC program in the next four months.
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