Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has responded to the ongoing media reports concerning her alleged status as an active member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). While the issue of her NYSC enrollment has been a subject of discussion over the years, it recently gained renewed attention following assertions by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) that she remains an active corps member.
Eddy Megwa, the Director of Public Relations for the NYSC scheme, emphasized that Musawa’s occupancy of the ministerial role contradicts the stipulations outlined in the NYSC Act. Megwa explained that as per the NYSC Act, a corps member is prohibited from assuming any government appointment until the completion of the one-year national service.
According to Megwa, Musawa was initially enlisted for the youth service in 2001, assigned to Ebonyi State, where she underwent the orientation program. Subsequently, she relocated to Kaduna State to continue her service but reportedly absconded from the program upon arrival. This prompted the NYSC scheme to review the matter and consider appropriate action.
In a statement that was circulated on Sunday, Musawa was quoted as asserting her innocence, claiming that she had not violated any laws. However, the situation took a twist shortly thereafter when Suleiman Haruna, Deputy Director of Press at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, issued a contradictory press release.
“The attention of Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, Hon. Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, has been drawn to a recently circulating piece titled:
MY PERSONAL STATEMENT ON MY NYSC STATUS AS A SERVING MINISTER. The piece is inaccurately associated with her in relation to the current NYSC discussion.
“The Hon. Minister clarifies that she has not released any official statement regarding the aforementioned matter and kindly asks the public to be cautious of unverified information.
“I deeply value and appreciate the support, solidarity, and understanding of Nigerians in these times. For clarity, I wish to state that I have not issued any statement on the current issue.”
