The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has demanded the prosecution of the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa and popular TV personality Kenny Ogungbe for alleged infraction of the National Youth Service Corps Act.

In a press statement made available to CITY LAWYER, the association expressed worry over the “mobilisation and purported compulsory service of Mr. Kenny Ogungbe and the abscondment of Hannatu Musa Musawa under the National Youth Service scheme.”

Signed by Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins and Ms. Funmilayo Adeogun, its Chairman and Secretary respectively, NBA-SPIDEL asked the NYSC Director-General to “immediately withdraw the discharge certificate issued to Mr. Kenny Ogungbe within 7 days of the receipt of this petition on the ground that his purported service is null and void and of no effect, having not served within the age limited for the national youth service.”

It also demanded that the agency “de-mobilize Hannatu Musa Musawa immediately and take steps to prosecute her for evading and/or absconding from national service.”

The NBA-SPIDEL also demanded that the duo should be prosecuted within one month, adding that “should you neglect, refuse and/or fail to meet our demands, that we may be compelled to proceed to Court to seek judicial intervention to address these aberrations and this we shall undertake without further recourse to you.”

Below is the full text of the statement.

The Director General,
National Youth Service Corp,
NYSC Headquarters,
Plot 416, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama.
Abuja.

Dear Sir,

ABSCONDMENT, PURPORTED MOBILISATION AND DISCHARGE OF MR. KENNY OGUNGBE AND ABSCONDMENT OF HANNATU MUSA MUSAWA, WHO IS PRESENTLY A MINISTER OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLLIC OF NIGERIA. .

The attention of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) has been drawn to news reports that have gone viral regarding the mobilisation and purported compulsory service of Mr. Kenny Ogungbe and the abscondment of Hannatu Musa Musawa under the National Youth Service scheme.

NBA-SPIDEL is informed that Mr. Kenny Ogungbe outrightly refused, failed, and/or neglected to make himself available for the compulsory one (1) year service immediately after graduation from his institution of higher education as required by the NYSC Act. That Hannatu Musa Musawa was mobilised for service in or about the year 2003, but absconded thereafter without completing the mandatory 1 year in service as required by law.

NBA-SPIDEL is also aware that in spite of this aberration, the said Kenny Ogungbe and Hannatu Musa Musawa were purportedly mobilized for service by your establishment this year. Whereas, Mr. Ogungbe has been issued his discharge certificate which he celebrated on the social media, Hannatu Musa Musawa has again absconded and has abandoned her area of primary assignment for the 2nd time, and now in full employment and partisan politics as the current Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

NBA-SPIDEL is very concerned that your office has not only condoned these violent violations of the sacred provisions and patriotic objectives of the NYSC, but has seemingly encouraged and actively participated in the unpatriotic violations and debasing of the NYSC Act. By your actions sir, you have consciously informed Nigerians that some Nigerians are above the law, and that some graduates need not undergo the mandatory NYSC Service or that with the right buttons being pressed, NYSC service can be deferred for years or decades by any graduate who may so desire and at his/her whims return to purportedly serve at old age like just Mr. Kenny Ogungbe or that a corper can continually abscond from service without consequences like Hannatu Musa Musawa.

Sir, by this petition, NBA-SPIDEL now seeks to put a stop to this unlawful and obnoxious practice now being perpetrated by the powerful in the country and ably encouraged by your agency.

In pursuance of that quest, we hereby demand the following:
1. That you immediately withdraw the discharge certificate issued to Mr. Kenny Ogungbe within 7 days of the receipt of this petition on the ground that his purported service is null and void and of no effect, having not served within the age limited for the national youth service.

2. That you de-mobilize Hannatu Musa Musawa immediately and take steps to prosecute her for evading and/or absconding from national service.
3. That you take steps within one month of the receipt of this petition to prosecute Mr. Kenny Ogungbe and Hannatu Musa Musawa at the appropriate court of law for evading the mandatory national youth service. This is to serve as a deterrent to other unpatriotic graduates who may wish to emulate their unpatriotic and unlawful acts.

Please, be informed that should you neglect, refuse and/or fail to meet our demands, that we may be compelled to proceed to Court to seek judicial intervention to address these aberrations and this we shall undertake without further recourse to you.

Please accept our highest regards at all times.

John Aikpokpo-Martins
(Chairman)

Funmi Adeogun
(Secretary)

To join our CITY LAWYER platform on WhatsApp, click here

To join our Telegram platform, click here 

COPYRIGHT 2022 CITY LAWYER. Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/City-Lawyer-Magazine-434937936684320 and on “X” (TWITTER) at https://twitter.com/CityLawyerMag. To ADVERTISE in CITY LAWYER or for Special Features, please email citylawyermag@gmail.com or call 08138380083.

All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.