By Wisdom Nwedene
Many Nigerians were not familiar with Mrs Hannatu Musawa until she was nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mrs Musawa who hails from Katsina State could not control her emotions broke down in tears when appeared before the Senate for screening.
Before her appointment as Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Musawa, a Nigerian lawyer served as
the presidential adviser on culture and entertainment economy.
In fact, she was the ninth nominee screened by the Senate.
When she was asked to introduce herself and summarise her resume by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Ms Musawa began to speak about her family background and her upbringing but, at some point, betrayed her emotion and started shedding tears.
Ms Musawa said she came from a poor family struggling to survive but that her father, Musa Musawa, a politician, ensured she got the desired Western education.
She said her father traded in Kolanut to sponsor her education before he died.
“I come from a family that struggles to make ends meet. My father sells ‘goro’ (Kolanut) to send me to school,” she said.
Why Embattled Minister Of Arts And Culture, Mrs Hannatu Musawa Must Resign
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed that the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, is currently doing her one-year youth service and therefore, occupying the ministerial position is in breach of the NYSC Act.
This is against the NYSC Act which states that Corps Members are not allowed to pick up any government appointment until the one-year service was over.
While the NYSC Director, Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa has said the scheme would take the necessary action on the matter, it will be in the best interest for Mrs Musawa to resign honourably and continue with the compulsory one year service.
It could be recalled that 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.
According to information on public domain, when Mrs Musawa got to Kaduna, she absconded and didn’t complete the programme.
In a country where rule of law is working, she would have resigned by now or be sacked.
It’s crystal clear that Mrs Musawa doesn’t respect the NYSC institution otherwise why abandoning the one year mandatory National Service.
She did it in 2001 and she is repeating it again. A woman who has no regards for Nigeria laws shouldn’t be appointed a minister.
In fact, by virtue of Section 2 of the NYSC Act says every citizen who graduated from any tertiary institution in and outside Nigeria and was not 30 years old shall be mobilised for the one-year compulsory national youth service, while any person above 30 was not eligible to participate in the service.”
Her appointment shows the inconsistency in our policies and disregard for our laws and she must resign now.
(Wisdom Nwedene, a Nigerian journalist writes from Abuja)
