Senior attorneys in Nigeria have commented on the legitimacy of President Bola Tinubu’s selection of Hannatu Musawa, a serving member of the corps, as minister of arts, culture, and the creative economy.
Others disagreed with the lawyers who claimed that her nomination was supported by the Nigerian Constitution.
Musawa was one of the 45 new ministers recently inaugurated by President Tinubu after receiving Senate approval.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) verified she is a serving corps member after a complaint was made by a group called HURIWA, but added that accepting such an assignment is against the NYSC Act.
In a statement on the subject, Norrison Quakers (SAN) praised President Tinubu and said that the nomination of Musawa is a step toward young empowerment, according to a report from ThisDay.
“I have looked at the law, and I have not seen any constitutional limitations. I have also looked at Section 2 of the NYSC Act, there is no law that says, she must have finished service before she can be appointed as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”
he explained.
Dr. Abiodun Layonu (SAN), who also offered commentary, said that as the constitution only stipulates that candidates for the House of Representatives must possess a school diploma, ministerial nominees should also only be required to possess a diploma.
Seyi Sowemimo (SAN), a former secretary of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, asserted that Hannatu Musawa’s status as a serving corps member does not bar him from holding the office of minister.
Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights attorney, disapproved of Musawa’s appointment.
He asserts that a serving member of the youth corps is ineligible to serve as a minister in Nigeria.
Falana claimed that the Constitution appears to have set the same criterion for those to be selected as ministers, adding that anyone who did not participate in the NYSC is unable to serve as a member of the House of Representatives.
The appointment of Musawa, according to Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), is categorically in violation of the NYSC Act.
He emphasized that a member of the service corps must serve for a continuous period of 12 months, as required by the Act.