See Tinubu's ministerial nominee rejected by Senate for skipping NYSC

President Bola Tinubu had on 19 June appointed Ms Musawa as his special adviser on culture and entertainment economy before later nominating her to his cabinet on 27 July.

All eyes are now on the Nigerian Senate to see if it would contradict itself and confirm a nominee it rejected three years ago for failing to show evidence that she participated in the mandatory National Youth Service scheme.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had on 29 September 2020 nominated lawyer Hannatu Musawa for appointment as national commissioner representing Nigeria's North-west geopolitical zone on the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) board. That nomination came about three years after Mr Buhari appointed her chairperson of the board of the National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna.

But on October 20, 2020, the senate in plenary declined to approve her appointment following a report by its Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters that she failed to provide evidence that she either participated in national service after graduating from the university or was exempted from the scheme.

Presenting his committee's report at the time, the Chairperson Ibrahim Shekarau said because of the national youth service gap in her resume, Ms Musawa was considered ineligible for appointment to public office and that her confirmation was therefore stood down.

The year-long national service, organised by the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), is compulsory for Nigerians who graduate from universities or equivalent institutions at under 30 years of age.

Participation in the national service is a statutory requirement for government and private sector jobs in Nigeria. The NYSC enabling law prescribes punishment for anyone who fails to participate in the scheme, absconds while in service or forges the programme's certificate.

Eligible Nigerians who skipped the service are to be sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and/or N2,000 fine,

Following the Senate rejection of Ms Musawa's appointment to PENCOM in 2020, then President Buhari withdrew her nomination and forwarded the name of Umaru Farouk Aminu to replace her. On 8 December 2020, the Senate confirmed Mr Aminu's appointment. He is still in office.

Mr Shekarau, the chair of the Senate committee that disqualified Ms Musawa, is no longer a member of the upper legislative chamber, but his deputy at the time, Barinada Mpigi (PDP - Rivers South-East senatorial district), was reelected on 25 February and remains in service as a member of the current 10th Senate.

It is unclear why he and other Senators who voted to disqualify her three years ago did not remind the chamber of that episode when Ms Musawa appeared before lawmakers for her confirmation hearing on Tuesday, 1 August.

At the session, senators failed to interrogate her or scrutinise the documents she submitted. After she read a prepared emotional text detailing what she described as her lowly family background, lawmakers asked her to take a bow and go.

In the well-made exotic white file she submitted to lawmakers, the nominee failed to include her curriculum vitae and degree certificates in what appears to be an attempt to make it difficult for Senators to determine her educational qualifications and NYSC status easily.

According to her Linkedin Profile, she holds a law degree from the University of Buckingham and two Masters from the University of Cardiff and the University of Aberdeen. But she did not include evidence of those certifications in her file. She only included her Senior School Certificate issued by the West African Examination Council in 1992 and her membership of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London.

She also included a beautiful portrait of herself smiling at the senators. She listed her referees as Theophilus Danjuma (retired army general and former minister of defence), Aminu Dantata (billionaire businessman, philanthropy and elder statesman) and Osita Okechukwu (director-general of the Voice of Nigeria).

When contacted Friday morning, Mr Okechukwu said, "Our position on this matter is that going by the 1999 Costitution of Nigeria as amended, the educational qualification for becoming a minister is same with that for becoming a House of Representatives member. Any other qualification cannot disqualify a nominee. Hannatu Musawa is highly qualified for the position for which Mr President has nominated her."

When asked if he believes the NYSC Act is now irrelevant for appointments to public office, Mr Okechukwu said that point was not for him to make.

On her part, Ms Musawa said she was still sleeping and unable to respond to our reporter's enquiry when she was contacted at 8.15 am Friday. She did not answer subsequent calls made to her by our reporter.

President Bola Tinubu had on 19 June appointed Ms Musawa as his special adviser on culture and entertainment economy before later nominating her to his cabinet on 27 July, suggesting that the president conducts little or no due diligence on his appointees.

The spokesperson to the president, Ajuri Ngelale, did not answer or return calls made to him Friday morning. He is also yet to respond to messages sent to him seeking his comments on this matter.