Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy claims she did nothing illegal when she accepted a ministerial seat in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet while completing the mandated one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Musawa spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’.
She was asked how she became a minister without an NYSC credential during the conversation.
Candidates for public office must have an NYSC certificate or an exemption letter.
Musawa stated that the matter has been “adjudicated” and that she will one day provide a “proper account” of what happened.
She denied breaking the law and stated that she had completed two years of national youth service throughout her lifetime.
She said:
“There have been so many different accounts of that particular situation. The fact that I’m sat here should tell you that I did not do anything wrong.”
“I have not come out to set the records straight as to what happened. The social media has just run rife with different accounts.
“The matter has been adjudicated and one day, I will come out with my account.”
Asked if she owes Nigerians an explanation on the saga, the minister added that the only thing she can say is that she did nothing wrong.
“I did not break the law. I did NYSC and finished. I can assure you that nothing was done to break the law or regulation. Everything that I did was by the law,” she said.
TheCable stated in August 2023 that NYSC management confirmed Musawa’s status as a serving corps member.
This followed a report by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil society organisation, that Musawa was participating in the one-year mandatory youth service plan while serving in the federal cabinet.