2025 Budget : NASS Committees On Culture Walk Minister Out Over Non-Performance
•By Admin
ABUJA – THE Joint Committee of the Senate and House Committees on Tuesday dismissed the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hanatu Musawa, for appearing before it unprepared to explain the ministry’s 2025 budget performance.
The Minister who appeared before the joint committee for appraisal of the 2025 budget performance came with the Permanent Secretary, directors without the required documents that will allow the legislators an insight into the performance of the ministry.
The Chairman of the joint committee, Senator Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South) summarised what transpired in the meeting to journalists thus:
“It’s just that they were not prepared. We had written them about two months ago, and we had expected them to come with documents that would tell us how well they are doing in the ministry, what challenges they have, so that at least we can address them since the next budget is at hand.
“And none of the documents that were asked for were brought. So we did not find it convenient to continue with the meeting because members of four committees came together to address the issue, to make it easy for the ministry.
“Each of these committees has the right to invite them individually, but we said for convenience, let us come together and then address the problems of the ministry. They didn’t come with anything, and our members could not have documents to speak to, so we had to adjourn”.
Earlier during the joint committee meeting, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Mukhtar Yawale Mohammed tried frantically to persuade the committee to listen to them, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
The committee members insisted that without the documents, there was no way they could continue with the meeting.
Therefore , the Joint Chairman, Senator Onawo told the minister to go and reappear on October 27, 2025 with the required documents submitted to the secretariat a week earlier than that day.
The Minister, Hanatu Musawa who apologized on behalf of the ministry blamed the problem on “break in communication.”
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