By Atieme Ogbolosingha, PhD
President Bola Tinubu, in consultation with the Nigerian senate and security agencies have “changed” sections of the NYSC act and the changes have been implemented immediately. This is reminiscent of the manner the petroleum subsidy was removed on May 29th. The new change took effect on Monday 21st August when the President administered the oath of office to ministerial designates. A beneficiary of this significant constitutional change is the minister of Arts, culture and creative economy, Hannatu Musawa.
Madam Musawa is a serving corps member and her place of primary assignment is a law firm in Abuja, said an NYSC spokesperson. She is the first minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to have benefited from such sweeping overnight legal change. As of today, 30th August 2023, Madam Musawa is a corps member and a minister, and both roles require that she works from 8am to 4pm from Monday to Friday. There is no doubt that “Minister-Corps member” Musawa is a trained lawyer and a well-educated lady with multiple academic degrees, and whose eloquence and mastery of words can rarely be questioned. However, she must have some sort of superhuman abilities to have achieved this rare feat of being at two places at the same time. Little wonder, President Tinubu who is acclaimed for identifying highly talented technocrats has discovered this superhuman ability of Madam Musawa.
Prior to the overnight “changes to the NYSC act” proposed and implemented by the President, youth corps members were strictly banned from engaging in other activities while in active service to the nation. In 2012, when I completed my bachelor’s degree at the University of Port Harcourt, I was on the verge of being made a job offer with a multinational oil company, but as I had yet to complete my national service, I was asked to be patient and complete the mandatory service before I could be reconsidered. I also have a long list of friends that got various offers, but had to wait for one year. Unfortunately for some of us, things had changed significantly within the 12 month service year, such that only one of my friends was reconsidered for the same pre-NYSC job. Minister Musawa must be feeling very fortunate that the NYSC act has been “changed” overnight to accommodate her. She’s highly competent and the only suitable candidate from her state that is deserving of a ministerial appointment, at this moment.
The NYSC has done well by confirming Hannatu Musawa is a serving corps member. All Nigerians know she’s also a minister. Expectedly, there has been some legal fireworks around this discourse. Some lawyers such as Norrison Quakers posit that Mr President is right in the manner he has appointed a serving corps member as a minister. They have also commended the security agencies for making thorough scrutiny of the records of Madam Musawa and finding her appointable without any blemish. Ironically, the security agencies did not do a thorough scrutiny of former Kaduna state governor, Mr Nasir Elrufai, thus leading to his non-confirmation by the Senate. On the other hand, a section of legal professionals such as the likes of Femi Falana and Daniel Bwala consider the appointment of Madam Musawa an illegality that should not be allowed to stay any day longer. Whilst lawyers can make arguments of anything, I am yet to see one lawyer that has successfully represented two clients at the same time at two different locations, without using surbordinates who are equally competent lawyers in their own right. Perhaps they aspire to be Madam Musawa that has the rare ability of being at two places at the same time.
With the new changes heralded by Madam Musawa, corps members can now take up a second full time job. Perhaps this change can now apply to all sectors of the economy. Lecturers, doctors, nurses, civil servants, and any public office holder is now allowed to have two full time jobs, however, you must approach Madam Musawa on the tricks of being at two places at the same time and how she has achieved this feat, so far.
I would end by imploring at least 100 Nigerians to visit Madam Musawa. 50 of these volunteers should pay her a visit at 8am at the law firm where she is serving the nation and the other 50 should besiege the ministry of art, culture and creative economy to pay her a simultaneous visit at 8am. Do not forget to plead with Madam Musawa to confer on all Nigerians the superhuman ability of being in two work places at the same time, while reminding President Tinubu that all Nigerians are working hard to be popular to him like Madam Musawa. Nigerians are also grateful to President Tinubu for creating millions of jobs which now motivates Nigerians to have two full time jobs like his minister.
The way Tinubu is going, one does not need a prophet to tell you that he will one day try to perpetrate himself and his family in power. Always seeking to change laws and times without due process.
When that time comes, the parliament that is always ready to sell itself will gladly amend the constitution to suit it’s master.
I am not a prophet and I come in peace.