MINISTER MUSAWA AND THE NYSC QUESTION 

Musawa is not qualified for a ministerial appointment

Introduced in 1973 by the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon as a vehicle for national integration following the bitter civil war, questions remain about why only about 5.7 million Nigerians have been mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 50 years. The only plausible explanation is that many of the graduates who ought to have been deployed evade the scheme. Yet, with the exemption of those in the military/police and security services, NYSC is compulsory for every Nigerian who graduates from tertiary institutions (home or abroad) before the age of 30. They ought to make themselves available for service for a continuous period of one year from the date specified in their call-up letters. 

 Unfortunately, a series of recent scandals and a host of other challenges have limited the scheme’s impact, reduced its appeal, and undercut its ennobling ideal. In the latest of such scandals, the NYSC management has confirmed the claim by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil society organisation, that Ms Hannatu Musawa, is currently undertaking the one-year mandatory scheme. Musawa was last week sworn in as Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy by President Bola Tinubu. “HURIWA wondered why the correct status of Musawa wasn’t made known to members of the public before the Senate sensationally failed to screen her as it should,” the group stated. “HURIWA wonders about the kind of scrutiny being conducted by the Department of State Services so much so that it wasn’t disclosed that the minister is actually a youth corper.” 

 We align with the position of HURIWA on the lack of rigour in the process that led to the confirmation of Musawa as minister. We recall that in October 2020, the Senate confirmed appointments into the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) board. On that occasion, Musawa, a nominee for the position of commissioner representing Northwest, was dropped for failure to present her NYSC discharge certificate. Since she graduated below the age of 30 and neither held a national honour at the time nor was a member of the armed forces, Musawa could not have been exempted from NYSC.

 When her name came up for ministerial appointment in July, there were questions about her NYSC status. Unfortunately, Senators in both the ruling and opposition parties conspired to shirk their responsibility.

Yet nothing can be more damaging than for the highest legislative body in a country not to have any abiding principles, as the current Senate has demonstrated on the Musawa case. If without a discharge certificate issued by the NYSC Musawa was deemed not qualified to serve in PENCOM by the Senate, the question now is what qualifies her to be a minister?  Besides, according to Femi Falana, SAN, the Supreme Court has settled this matter conclusively in a case involving a member of the House of Representatives who lost his seat because he was a serving corps member at the time of his election. 

Ordinarily, no Nigerian should take any appointment until the completion of the NYSC which would earn the person the discharge certificate. It is a mandatory requirement in both the public and private sectors in the country. Indeed, there have been many cases of young Nigerians denied employment because they could not present the NYSC certificate. There have also been cases of Nigerians who lived abroad but returned home even at over 50 years of age, to serve in anticipation of government appointments. Apparently, that was why Musawa offered to serve now. But can she be a youth corps member and member of the federal executive council at the same time? 

 This is a question for the Tinubu administration that seems to have scant regard for transparency and accountability.