Musawa disagreed with those who faulted her appointment as a minister due to her status as a serving corps member.
The Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, has finally reacted to the ongoing controversy surrounding her ministerial appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
Musawa, who is currently in the eighth month of her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), argued that she didn’t break any law by being a minister both at the same time.
This followed recent calls in some quarters demanding the resignation of the minister over claims that the NYSC Act prevented any serving corps member from picking up a government appointment.
Though Musawa has been involved in a two-decades-long battle with the NYSC, the matter regained prominence recently after the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) raised the alarm that one of Tinubu’s ministers was a serving corps member.
After the revelation, the Director, Press and Public Relations of the NYSC, Eddy Megwa, confirmed that Musawa was occupying the ministerial position in breach of the law.
Megwa disclosed that the minister was originally mobilised to serve in Ebonyi State in 2001, and she had her three-week orientation programme there before relocating to Kaduna State to continue the programme.
On getting to Kaduna, Musawa absconded and failed to complete the NYSC programme, the NYSC official added.
Megwa said the scheme would look into the issue and take action where necessary.
Musawa says no law was broken
Reacting to the development, the minister, in a statement on the evening of Sunday, August 27, 2023, lifted the lid on the matter while defending her position.
According to Musawa, she was posted to Akwa Ibom as against Ebonyi which the NYSC spokesman mentioned. The minister also insisted that no breach of law has occurred.
“I will like to state clearly that contrary to wrong insinuations and false assumptions in a section of the mainstream media and social media where false accusations have been made, there is no breach of any law or constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended regarding my current position as a Minister and status as serving Corp member.
“It must be said that there is no law of Nigeria or any part of the our constitution and NYSC Act that states that a serving Corp member can not be appointed by the President of Nigeria or any other appointing authority into political positions.
“Equally, no part of our existing laws and NYSC Act says that a corps member must finish service before he/she can be appointed into political office. There is no legal and constitutional limitations whatsoever. I have not broken any law of Nigeria,” Musawa’s statement read.
