The Public Interest Development Law Section of the Nigerian Bar Association has asked the court to remove Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, for allegedly violating the National Youth Service Corps Act.
The organization also forced the NYSC to revoke the certificates granted to Mr. Musawa and music promoter Kenny Ogunbe as the issuance of the certificates was in violation of the provisions of NYSC Law Cap N84.LFN 2024. asked the court to do so.
The plaintiffs in the suit marked FCH/ABJ/05/90/2024 are NBA-SPIDEL Chairman John Ikpokpo Martins and NBA-SPIDEL Secretary Funmi Adeogun.
Mr. Musawa, Mr. Ogunbe, the NYSC and the Federal Government of Nigeria are the first to fourth defendants in this case, respectively.
The plaintiffs argued that the recruitment of Mr. Musawa and Mr. Ogunbe to the mandatory one-year National Youth Service after they turned 30 was illegal, unlawful and an affront to patriotism.
They also argued that the purported national service of Mr. Musawa and Mr. Ogunbe and the certificate of service purported to be issued by the NYSC were invalid.
The plaintiffs claim that “Pursuant to the provisions of Article 2, Paragraph 1, Article 12, Paragraph 1, and Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the National Youth Service Act, the following According to N84 LFN 2004, the first and second defendants must first possess and present a certificate from the National Youth Authority, unless the employer of labor or services (including the Federal Government of Nigeria) ) has no right to be employed as an employee.
“After the 1st defendant violently contravened the provisions of Article 2(1), Article 12(1) with gross impunity, he cannot hold the exalted office of Honorable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any other public office in Nigeria. ) and Section 13(1) of the National Youth Service Act, Cap. N84, LFN 2004.”
Punch reported that the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria had accused Msawa in August 2023 of serving as a minister while participating in the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Similarly, in October 2023, Ogunbe created an uproar on social media when he shared a photo of himself in NYSC uniform and announced that he had graduated from NYSC at the age of 53.
Efforts to call Msawa were unsuccessful as calls to her phone number proved unreachable. At the time of writing this report, responses to messages sent to her were awaited.