The Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has stated that there is no law that Stops her from being a Nigerian Minister.
According to Musawa,” no part of our existing laws or the NYSC Act says that a… serving Corp member cannot be appointed by the President of Nigeria or any other appointing authority into political positions.”
Musawa’s comment comes on the heels of the statement released by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), which raised the alarm that one of President Bola Tinubu’s minister is a serving corps member.
In the same vein, Director of Public Relations for the scheme, Eddy Megwa, stated that Musawa was occupying the ministerial position in breach of the NYSC Act.
Speaking with newsmen, Megwa explained that it negates the NYSC Act for any corps member to pick up any government appointment until the one-year service is over.
However, in a statement on Sunday, the minister gave the reason why she deferred service until 2023.
She further stated that she was posted to Akwa Ibom as opposed to Ebonyi, which the NYSC spokesman mentioned.
Musawa said, “I will like to state clearly that contrary to wrong insinuations and false assumptions in a section of the mainstream media and social media where false accusations have been made, there is no breach of any law or constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended regarding my current position as a minister and status as a serving Corp member.”
“It must be said that there is no law of Nigeria or any part of our constitution or NYSC Act that states that a serving Corp member cannot be appointed by the President of Nigeria or any other appointing authority into political positions.
“Equally, no part of our existing laws or the NYSC Act says that a corps member must finish service before he or she can be appointed to political office. There are no legal or constitutional limitations whatsoever. I have not broken any law in Nigeria,” she added.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
