Nigeria’s Newly Appointed Minister Of Art, Culture and Tourism Hannatu Musawa in the previous days of his nomination and inauguration has face numerous question on her stands about NYSC with is one of of the criteria in the education eligible for indigenous and foreign Nigerian students at 18 – 29 years of age any things about 30 years is given exemption from the scheme.
Hannatu, 49 has been accused by many groups who have also filed a lawsuit over the decision of President Tinubu who has gone ahead to inaugurate her as the minister for Art and Culture.
Many questions have been raised on the choice over other eligible citizens who can take up the role yet neglected which is seen as a letdown to the NYSC scheme.
It’s has been reported that Minister, Hannatu Musawa is currently serving as a Corp member of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) which is a compulsory one-year service for graduates of Nigeria’s tertiary education.
According to NYSC Acts is against the law for a serving corps member to accept any government appointment while serving.
The Plaintiffs maintained that Mrs. Musawa, being a serving National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member was legally unfit to be appointed a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Cited as 1st to 3rd Defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS /1198/2023, are President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi and minister, Mrs. Musawa.
Those behind the suit are the Deji Adeyanju-led Incorporated Trustees of Concerned Nigerians, Chief Patrick Eholor and Thomas Markus. Specifically, the Plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Ihensekhien Samuel Jnr., are asking the court to determine “Whether by provisions of section 2 (1) and (3) of the National Youth Service Corps Act and Section 4(9) of the NYSC Bye-laws (revised 2011), the 3rd Defendant, being a current NYSC member, is not prohibited from becoming a Federal Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Whether by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, whether the same qualification of a federal member of the House of Representatives is not also the same qualification for the appointment of the 3rd Defendant as a Federal Minister and whether same qualification is not mandatory for the 3rd Defendant to be a Federal Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Upon determination of the legal issues, the Plaintiffs are seeking five principal reliefs from the court, including an order “nullifying the initial recommendation, resolution to be a minister, appointment and swearing in of the 3rd Defendant as a Federal Minister of Nigeria.
”An order setting aside the swearing in of the 3rd Defendant in this regard. And An order for a mandatory injunction setting aside all official actions as may be carried out by the 3rd Defendant acting in an official capacity from the commencement of and swearing in of the 3rd Defendant to the final conclusion of this suit.”
Aside from asking the court to award the sum of N 100 Million against the Defendants as general damages, the Plaintiffs demanded for N1m to cover the cost of the litigation.
In a 13-paragraph affidavit they attached in support of the suit, the litigants told the court that Ms. Musawa concealed the fact that she was a corps member that was mobilized and currently serving in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
They contended that the NYSC Act and Bye-laws forbade corps members from being in salaried work or accepting partisan political appointments.
“That NYSC press officer, in an official statement, actually in a trending report, remarked and deprecated the action of the 3rd Defendant to be appointed as a Federal Minister and also to be involved in partisan politics in the 1st Defendant’s Executive Presidential Cabinet,” they contended.
The Plaintiffs argued that it would be in the interest of justice to grant all their reliefs.
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the matter to be heard.