More Nigerians have sustained calls for removing Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet following controversies surrounding her National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Certificate and violation of the law.
Just as anti-graft agencies are been urged to investigate alleged extortion by members of the House of Representatives committee probing job racketeering in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), a recent investigative report by Premium Times exposed more complexities regarding the NYSC certificate saga involving Musawa.
The Lead Director of Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Barrister Eze Onyekpere and other participants, during an anti-corruption radio programme, Public Conscience on Wednesday in Abuja, joined other Nigerians kicking against the appointment of Musawa as a minister.
Onyekpere faulted President Tinubu’s appointment of the Minister despite her failure to complete the NYSC programme after over 20 years and subsequent inclusion in the cabinet even when she is still a serving corps member. He added that Musawa’s appointment was a “clear violation of the law, with her actions unpatriotic and bad example for youths”.
He aligned with those calling for her removal from the federal cabinet, saying: ”I’m very much of the school of thought that the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy is not qualified. She’s not a fit and proper person to occupy that position because she is a bad example. Nigerian youth must not copy her, and she should not be a minister.
“She (Musawa) avoided the NYSC programme for 21 years. On what authority, which law allows that? She has held the law to ransom and in contempt. Therefore, she shouldn’t benefit from it.
“A serving corps member cannot be a member of the Federal Executive Council, and lawyers justifying her actions must remember that the legal profession cannot be a profession of diabolical prudence or profession for refusing to speak the truth”.
On Nigerian lawmakers accused of extorting money from agencies they are investigating, Onyekpere described the development as insane and called on victims to speak up and for anti-corruption agencies to punish those found wanting.
The duo of Premium Times journalists, Qosim Suleiman and Majeed Bakare tasked President Tinubu to uphold the constitution with regards to the Musawa’s NYSC situation, while reminding anti-corruption agencies that they owe it to Nigerians to get to the root of allegations of House of Representatives committee extorting public institutions.
Suleiman maintained that the continued stay of the minister in office is setting a precedent that anyone could be a serving corps member and at the same time be appointed into a public office.
Bakare, however, revealed that Premium Times had written a petition to anti-graft agencies following investigations indicting the National Assembly committee of extorting Vice Chancellors of some universities.
Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee investigating job racketeering in federal MDAs, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi had dismissed allegations of extortion against the panel, arguing that the report was unfair to tag all 37 committee members as ‘corrupt.’
Meanwhile, some civil society groups have reportedly approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to nullify Musawa’s appointment. The groups maintained that she, being a serving Corps member, was legally unfit to be appointed a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio programme, which the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.
The programme has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.
