Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture & Creative Economy, has broken her silence on the controversy of retaining office while serving as a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Although the issue of her NYSC status has been in the news for years, it regained prominence after the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) raised the alarm that one of the ministers of President Bola Tinubu was a serving corps member.
Eddy Megwa, the program’s director of public relations, subsequently claimed that Musawa was abusing the NYSC Act by holding the ministerial post. According to Daily trust.
Megwa clarified to Daily Trust that it was against the NYSC Act for any corps member to accept any government employment prior to the completion of the one-year service.
He said that Mrs. Musawa had completed her orientation programme in Ebonyi State before being mobilised for the youth service in 2001. She thereafter moved to Kaduna State to complete the programme.
Megwa said that she abandoned the course when she arrived in Kaduna, adding that the programme would look into the situation and take appropriate measures.
However, the minister explained why she postponed service until 2023 in a statement on Sunday.
Additionally, she stated that she was sent to Akwa Ibom rather than Ebonyi, as stated by the NYSC spokesman.
“I will like to state emphatically that contrary to incorrect insinuations and false assumptions in a section of the mainstream media and social media where false accusations have been made, there is no violation of any law or the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s amended constitution regarding my current position as a Minister and status as a serving Corp member,” the statement reads.
It must be noted that neither Nigerian law, provision of our constitution, or the NYSC Act prohibits the President of Nigeria or any other appointing authority from nominating a serving Corp member to political positions. Additionally, neither the NYSC Act nor any of our current legislation stipulate that a corps member must complete duty before being appointed to a political position. There are absolutely no restrictions under the law or the constitution. I have not violated any Nigerian laws. According to Daily trust.
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