In defence of Minister Hannatu

It is futile in my view to argue whether Hannatu Musa Musawa should serve as minister while she is on National Youth Service. There are at least three reasons to consider the resulting controversy as a storm in a teacup. NYSC as an agency deviated from its noble purpose. It is ridiculous that Minister Hannatu stepped forward to be mobilized for service at “old” age. The current legal position is that one can accept ministerial position or contest elective office without presenting a certificate of national service. There is a fourth argument but I will leave this for last.

Before this, however, let me acknowledge that those opposed to her appointment have put forward valid arguments. The point must be made that there is something going on about national service that the authorities need to reflect on. What is going on is not only reflected in the minister’s behaviour but in the legal opinions being canvassed at election tribunals over NYSC discharge certificates. Suddenly, lawyers want the NYSC certificate to determine who won elections, rather than who voters chose over others on election day.

NYSC certificates have, therefore, become relevant but for the wrong reasons. The question hitherto has been whether the agency has outlived its usefulness. Many agree that the agency is losing its bearing, while the uncharitable among us now call the scheme a certificate-awarding exercise. This was not how NYSC was conceived and birthed in 1973.

The founding fathers proposed two core objectives for the scheme. One was to enable the youths develop common ties that will promote national unity and integration. Such ties, it was reasoned, will “remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance and confirm at first hand the many similarities among Nigerians of all ethnic groups.”

To achieve these noble objectives, participants were to serve outside their home states. But is this happening today? Certainly not. Given a choice, the majority of today’s youth corps members would prefer to serve in Abuja or Lagos. And a few of them will serve while not serving, like the minister as well as other politicians currently battling for survival at election tribunals. It is a common practice. NYSC mobilizes and deploys this small group of impatient graduates and they promptly take off to continue with prior pursuits or start new ones. With the right connections, agency staff and primary employers collude to shield truants for as long as it takes them to receive their certificates.

Consequently, the scheme is no longer an opportunity for youths to know their country and appreciate its ethnoreligious and cultural diversity. Given a choice, most would remain in their parents’ state of residence – if they cannot serve in Lagos or Abuja. And who blames them, considering the dangerous hurdles on their route to service?

These dangers are real. For one, overall safety has become an issue. Two months ago, kidnappers intercepted a bus taking corps members to their homes after their orientation camping in Adamawa State. Lucky were the parents whose wards managed to elude the ransom-hunting brigands. Additionally, Nigeria routinely sheds the blood of innocent youth to appease desperate politicians during our election cycles. The horrible state of our roads further exposes our children to avoidable deaths when travelling to and from their service stations. Those who have money to fly are lucky if they are posted to the dozen states with airports patronized by airlines today. Any youth that manages to survive these dangers will still come face to face with the biggest hurdle of all, chronic unemployment. This is why they see life after serving their nation as just another NYSC, “Now Your Suffering Commences.”

Let’s tell ourselves the truth. Unlike the first and second generation of participants, joy has departed from the National Youth Service Corps scheme. This is why Minster Hannatu and many other persons now seek creative ways to eat their NYSC cake and have it.

The foregoing is, however, not the defence that in my view exonerates Minister Hannatu. There are more powerful arguments to allow her be, arguments that are based on facts, law and commonsense.

According to the enabling law, the National Youth Service Corps scheme is for youths who are under 30. Those who are 30 and over must apply for exemption and make do with a certificate of exemption. It is ludicrous for Minister Hannatu to seek to be re-mobilized at age 43. And what the heck is re-mobilization? The law mandates participants to observe a one-year continuous service until they pass out. Mid-service breaks and the so-called re-mobilization are not part of the deal. Those who skip or abandon service have broken the law. Minister Hannatu has no business serving in the NYSC at her age.

There is also a serious violation of the law based on the current discriminatory mobilization policy instituted by the agency. NYSC no longer invites graduates of colleges of education to national service even though they are specifically listed in the law. Also excluded are graduates from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). This means is that if Minister Hannatu were either a graduate from NOUN or went to a college of education we would not be arguing.

There is a third legal issue that further exonerates Minister Hannatu. The courts have ruled that those accepting ministerial appointments or contesting elective public offices do not have to present NYSC certificates as a requirement. This is the legal precedence that former Minister Kemi Adeosun brought to the table after  she was successfully harassed out of office. One suspects that this point is what emboldened Minister Hannatu to declare that she has not broken the law.

NYSC is, unfortunately, being turned by politicians into another certificate-chasing institution for Nigerian graduates. Hannatu re-mobilized because she saw her fellow politicians without this certificate being harassed and ridiculed all over the place. But she need not have worried because the law is on her side big time.

The President who appointed her is empowered by the law to summarily deal with matters of NYSC youth mobilization. This includes the power to order a deferment of service. As a matter of fact, the NYSC board can do the same, although the proposal would need to be ratified by the National Security and Defence Council. The point, however, is that the President’s appointment of Hannatu Musawa automatically overrides all other considerations that are subject of controversy today. To appreciate this, ask yourself: Will there be a controversy if tomorrow a President decides that a serving youth corps member should sit in the cabinet?

LAST LINE

Hannatu Musawa may be free but the NYSC is not. There is a lot that the agency needs to do to restore its integrity and regain its original mandate and focus. Unfortunately, the agency is constrained by a leadership abnormality and other factors, which I shall examine next week.