It is reported that the minister has currently been serving for the past eight months in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has accused Minister of Arts and Culture, Hannatu Musawa, currently serving, of violating the NYSC act.
According to Daily Trust, NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa, admitted that the minister has been serving for the past eight months in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mr megwa explained that it was a breach of the NYSC act for any corps member to pick up government appointment until the one year of service was over.
He further explained that Mrs Musawa was originally mobilised in 2001 for the youth service to Ebonyi state where she did her orientation programme.
She then relocated to Kaduna to continue the program before she absconded and didn’t complete the program.
Reacting to the development, lawyer Abeny Mohammed said the action was a breach of the NYSC act which stipulates that no corps member should present themselves for employment without completing the service.
“The situation we have at hand is that this person is still serving as a corper and she has been appointed a minister. It shows the inconsistency in our policies and disregard for our laws,” Mr Mohammed said.
Also, Femi Falana said it was a violation of section 2 of the NYSC act for anyone to be an appointed minister while still serving.
Mrs Musawa was recently appointed Minister of Arts and Culture by President Bola Tinubu. There has been no comment from her so far on the matter.
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has decried the suitability and legality of appointing Hannatu Musawa, a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member as a minister by President Bola Tinubu.
“Section 13 of the National Youths Service Corps Act stipulates that any Nigerian graduate below 30 who refuses to make himself/herself available for the compulsory one-year service has committed an offence “and liable on conviction to a fine of N4,OOO or to imprisonment for a term of two years or to both such fine and imprisonment,” HURIWA said.
A statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, noted that the Minister of Arts was actually a serving NYSC member somewhere in Wuse II, Abuja in the year 2023.
It described the development as despicable particularly with what turned out to be a routine with the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate, in which Musawa was asked to “take a bow and go” without being asked any questions about her academic qualifications, including the controversy surrounding her NYSC certificate.
HURIWA said that credible sources within the NYSC confirmed that Musawa, who is now a minister is actually a Youth Corps member.
“The details of the NYSC posting of Hannatu Musawa are as follows: FC/23A/505 and Posted to Onyilokwu Onyilowa and company Suit number undisclosed purposely (paint house) old Banex Plaza,” it said.
HURIWA noted that in 2020, the Ahmed Lawan-led 9th Senate rejected Musawa’s nomination by former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commissioner representing the North West at the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), saying, “Her failure to submit her National Youth Service (NYSC) certificate was cited as reason for her rejection.