Hannatu Musa Musawa, minister of art, culture and creative economy, says she did nothing wrong accepting a ministerial position in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet while undergoing the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Musawa spoke on ‘Sunday Politics’, a Channels Television
programme.
During the chat, Musawa was asked how she became a minister
without an NYSC certificate.
An NYSC certificate or exemption letter is a mandatory
requirement for persons seeking public offices.
The minister said the matter has been “adjudicated” and that
one day she will give a “proper account” of what transpired.
She said she did not break the law, adding that she had
undergone two years of national youth service in her lifetime.
“There have been so many different accounts of that
particular situation. The fact that I’m sat here should tell you that I did not
do anything wrong,” she said.
“I have not come out
to set the records straight as to what really happened. The social media has
just run rife with different accounts.
“The matter has been adjudicated and one day, I will come
out with my own account.”
Asked if she owes Nigerians an explanation on the saga, the
minister added that the only thing she can say is that she did nothing wrong.
“I did not break the law. I did NYSC and finished. I can
assure you that nothing was done to break the law or regulation. Everything
that I did was in accordance with the law,” she said.
THE CONTROVERSY
In August 2023, TheCable reported the NYSC management as
confirming that Musawa was a serving corps member.
This was sequel to a claim by the Human Rights Writers
Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil society organisation, that Musawa was
undertaking the one-year mandatory youth service scheme while being a member of
the federal cabinet.
Musawa was appointed minister in August 2023. When she
appeared before the senate for screening, the lawmakers did not pose questions
pertaining to her NYSC certificate.
In September 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari
nominated Musawa as national commissioner to represent the north-west
geopolitical zone on the national pension commission board.
However, the senate in October of the same year, rejected
her nomination over a report from the committee on establishment and public
service matters — which stated that Musawa failed to provide her NYSC
certificate or exemption letter.
In April, a federal high court in Abuja dismissed the suit
seeking to sack the culture minister over the NYSC controversy.
The suit was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Concerned
Nigeria, Patrick Eholor and Thomas Marcus.
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