A group, the Coalition for Transparency, Equity and Justice, has questioned the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, on the alleged renting of an office space for N4 billion and appointment of a 32-year-old man, Ahmed Sodangi, who is said to be related to her as a stepson, as the Director General of the National Gallery of Arts.
The coalition, a non-profit organisation, questioned the Minister in a letter dated February 14, 2025, which was anchored on the Freedom of Information Act.
According to the CTEJ in the letter signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Chima Chibuike, it was shocking that Musawa could allegedly rent a certain glass house, reportedly located along ICPC Road in Abuja and allegedly owned by a former governor of one of the South East states, for N4billion.
The letter claimed that N3billion had allegedly been paid without the approval of the Federal Executive Council as mandated by extant government regulations.
According to the coalition, the payment, which was allegedly made in tranches, clearly overshot the approval limit of a Minister.
The coalition equally sought explanation to the allegation that the Minister laid off highly qualified and vastly experienced top officials of the Ministry and reportedly replaced them with less experienced personnel who will be beholden to her.
Equally worrisome to the NGO is another allegation that Musawa “recommended about 50 aides” for employment in the Ministry.
In the case of Sodangi, the CTEJ alleged that before his appointment, he was a Level 09 officer with the Bank of Industry.
It said in the letter: “It’s instructive that the Bank of Industry where Sodangi last worked before emerging as DG NGA sponsored major art exhibitions in London and Nigeria but that should not be a yardstick for his appointment.”
The Coalition said those weighty allegations had grave implications for the country’s public service.
However, in her reaction to the allegations, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Dr. Nneka Ikem-Anibeze, denied knowledge of any wrongdoing by Musawa.
Ikem-Anibeze said the Ministry did not rent any office for N4billion nor paid N3 billion in installments, adding: “The entire budget of the Ministry is a little over N4billion. “How is it possible that somebody would rent an office accommodation with N4 billion when our entire budget is just about that amount?”
She said on the allegation that Musawa appointed 50 aides: “We operate from the Federal Secretariat (Abuja).
“We (Minister’s aides) operate from the Conference Room of our office at the Federal Secretariat.
“Anybody can come and count those of us in the room, and see if we are up to 50.”
Ikem-Anibeze also countered the CTEJ on the allegation of irregular employment and nepotism levelled against the Minister.
Maintaining that the Minister follows due process in her conduct as a lawyer, she said: “The Honourable Minister does not have any son-in-law or stepson.
“She is not married and she has only one daughter.
“How can somebody who is not married have a son-in-law or stepson?
“The Honourable Minister has only one daughter and she is not married.”
It will be recalled that Musawa had earlier faced the controversy of not partaking in the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps scheme immediately after graduation.
Instead, she reportedly undertook the exercise while she had been appointed as Special Adviser in 2023 and later as Minister, thereby holding the position of Minister at the same time she was observing the NYSC service year, allegedly in contravention of the law.
However, in an interview she granted Arise News on October 7, 2024, Musawa had said that she did “not break the law.
“I did NYSC and finished.
“I can assure you that nothing was done to break the law or regulation.
“Everything that I did was in accordance with the law.”
In April 2024, she floored those who took her to court over her suitability to serve as Minister sequel to her NYSC controversy.
A Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the case as Justice James Omotosho ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to institute the matter.
In 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari had nominated the Katsina State-born British-trained lawyer as a National Commissioner representing the North West on the Board of the National Pension Commission.
But her nomination was rejected by the Senate in October 2020 after its Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters revealed that she had failed to provide an NYSC certificate or an exemption letter.
In June 2023, President Bola Tinubu appointed her as Special Adviser on Culture and Creative Economy.
She was later elevated to the position of cabinet Minister the same year. But since October 30, 2024, she has been heating the newly restructured Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy following the merger of the Ministry of Tourism with the existing Ministry of Art and Culture
