Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, says she is yet to react to the reports circulating in the media that she is a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Although the issue of her NYSC status has been in the news for years, it regained prominence after the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) raised the alarm that she is a serving corps member.
Eddy Megwa, Director of Public Relations of the scheme, had said Musawa was occupying the ministerial position in breach of the NYSC Act.
Speaking with Daily Trust, Megwa explained that it was against the NYSC Act for any corps member to pick up any government appointment until the one-year service was over.
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He said Mrs Musawa was originally mobilised in 2001 for the youth service to Ebonyi State where she had her orientation programme but later relocated to Kaduna State to continue the programme.
Megwa said it was when she got to Kaduna that she absconded and didn’t complete the programme, adding that it was the scheme would look into the issue and take action where necessary.
But in a widely circulated statement on Sunday, Musawa was quoted as saying she broke no law.
However, moments after the statement went viral, Suleiman Haruna, Deputy Director, Press, Ministry of Information and National Orientation, issued a counter 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.”
