By Eze Chinweuba
Dwight D. Eisenhower said ” The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Dwight David “Ike” born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and achieved the five-star rank as General of the Army. Eisenhower planned and supervised two of the most consequential and impactful military campaigns of World War II: Operation Torch in the North Africa campaign in 1942–1943 and the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944. His assertion that the supremacy of leadership recruitment must be based on unquestionable integrity speaks to the character of NYSC, the star agency in Nigeria.
The National Youth Service Corp.( NYSC) as an agency established for integration and national cohesion has built an indestructible integrity that has challenged me as a human being. From Mrs Kemi Adeosun who was slaughtered by the sword of holiness of NYSC to Mr Peter Mbah who is running from pillar to post having been decimated and slaughtered at the Enugu state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Anyone who followed the proceedings at the tribunal will sincerely marvel at the meticulous, organized, measurable, tangible facts and avalanche of evidences provided by the NYSC. Dates! Time! Records! You will see the unmistakable thoroughness of the agency and it’s leadership. Their consistency in standing on their integrity and uprightness is inspiring. The only agency that has never taken back their word.
I was shocked when news filtered in about the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musawa, in relation to the controversy surrounding her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) status. During her screening as a ministerial nominee information available was that she’s still a serving corp member.
NYSC has established itself as a dependable agency of government. Nigerians currently have implicit confidence in NYSC. They know the agency speaks fearlessly on issues of their certificates and status of any former or current corp member. That assertion was justified during an enquiry few days ago by TheCable an online digital media outfit that confirmed Hannatu Musawa indeed is still a corp member, “she is a serving corp member,” NYSC spokesman Eddy Megwa stated categorically.
The Director, Press and Public Relations of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Eddy Megwa, said that the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, who is currently doing her one-year youth service is occupying the ministerial position in breach of the NYSC Act.
This is yet another slaughtering of a dubious personality by NYSC who never cared whose ox is gored. The revelation opened up a can of worms on the effort by the minister in the past to cow NYSC into submission since 2001 that she ought to have served her father land. For twenty years she has tried to twist the NYSC but the rock solid agency maintained its stand that she absconded.
It was revealed that Musawa had transferred from Ebonyi State to Kaduna State after being initially assigned there for her youth service in 2001 but she “absconded and didn’t complete the programme.” After intimidation and blackmail against NYSC failed she agreed to be remobilized for her national service and she’s currently serving in FCT.
In 2020, the Ahmed Lawan-led 9th Senate rejected Musawa’s nomination by former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commissioner representing the North West at the National Pension Commission (PENCOM).
Her failure to submit her NYSC Certificate was cited as reason for her rejection.
It’s clear what the section 13 of the NYSC act stipulations are as it regards someone who is under 30 and refused to enroll for the mandatory one year service. The person is in danger of a huge fine or two years imprisonment.
Speaking on the matter Human Rights activist and fiery lawyer Femi Falana SAN said, it is illegal for anyone to obtain a ministerial job while still completing their NYSC service. In a statement titled: “A Youth Corps Member is not Competent to be a Minister in Nigeria”, Falana said by virtue of Section 2 of the NYSC Act, every citizen who graduated from any tertiary institution in and outside Nigeria and was not 30 years old shall be mobilized for the one-year compulsory national youth service, while any person above 30 was not eligible to participate in the service.”
Once again the NYSC has shown its incorruptible stand and passed an unmistakable message that it will slaughter anyone who dare bring its name to disrepute and have thus, inspired all of us as a people including institutions of government especially the judiciary that the supreme quality for leadership is unquestionable integrity. Only through such can a nation’s character be judged by the comity of nation.
Our leadership recruitment process should be cooked with ingredients of integrity, competence, credibility, accountability and undiluted truth so that our citizens will command respect and honour like a sweet champagne brewed with highest quality of standards and fit for public consumption.
*Eze Chinweuba is the Mbuze 1 of Neke
