It must be noted that neither a Nigerian law nor a provision of our constitution nor the NYSC Act prohibit the President of Nigeria or any other appointing authority from appointing a serving corps member to political positions.
Contrary to assertions made in some quarters, Minister of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa is of the opinion that her appointment does not break the legislation of the country.
Since Hannatu is a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a one-year curriculum that is required of all Nigerian graduates who are under 30 years old, many Nigerians have criticised her appointment as minister since she was sworn in on Monday.
But she maintained that her nomination does not break any rules in the nation in a personal statement released on Sunday.
“I would 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 the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s amended constitution regarding my current position as a Minister and status as a serving corps member,” she insisted.
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 appointing a serving corps member to a political position. 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.
In fact, Justice Taiwo Taiwo ruled that the Nigerian Constitution, which is the norm, does not even require anyone to present a first-degree certificate or any other certificate, including the NYSC certificate, to be appointed a Minister in Nigeria in a case that was decided before a Federal High Court in Abuja in 2021.
She reiterated her willingness to serve the country and added that being a member of the NYSC programme further strengthens that.
The minister continued, “I will continue to serve my country using every opportunity and platform.” “My current NYSC status, which expires in another four months, won’t hinder me in any way from performing my duties as Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, which is a higher call to national service on its own,” the statement reads.
