The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has responded to the controversy surrounding the recent selection of Mrs. Hannatu Musawa as the Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, due to her involvement in the NYSC scheme.
Earlier, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) had accused the Minister of simultaneously holding the position of a minister while undergoing the mandatory one-year NYSC scheme.
In an official statement on Thursday, HURIWA alleged that in the past, Musawa had abandoned her NYSC service in Ebonyi state, but later expressed intent to complete it. The group claimed that she was recently mobilized and assigned to a law firm in Abuja before her ministerial appointment. The organization called on the NYSC to ensure that Musawa focuses on either her national youth service or her ministerial role.
Responding to this situation, Eddy Megwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations for the NYSC, confirmed in an interview with Daily Trust on Friday that the minister had been actively serving in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the past eight months.
He stated that engaging in both the mandatory NYSC scheme and holding a ministerial position is a violation of the NYSC Act. He clarified that according to the NYSC Act, no corps member is allowed to accept a government appointment until they have completed the one-year service.
Megwa explained that Mrs. Musawa was initially mobilized for the youth service in 2001 to Ebonyi State, where she underwent orientation, but she later relocated to Kaduna State to continue the program.
He assured that the NYSC would investigate the matter and take appropriate actions as necessary.
