The Labour Party has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of sliding into authoritarianism over the National Youth Service Corps’ (NYSC’s) refusal to release the discharge certificate of Ushie Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye.
The party claimed the move was a “vengeful act” triggered by Raye’s viral criticism of the government’s handling of corps members’ welfare and the rising cost of living.
In March 2024, the Lagos-based corps member posted a video describing President Tinubu as “a terrible President” and lamenting poor air quality in the state.
Her comments sparked a social media storm, prompting her Local Government Inspector (LGI) to allegedly threaten sanctions unless she deleted the video.
Although Raye later apologised for remarks interpreted as an attack on Lagos, she recently revealed on Instagram that she was denied her NYSC certificate at the end of her service year.
Reactions as corps member alleges threat to her life over hardship complaints
NYSC officials said she missed her mandatory April 2025 biometric clearance, but the Labour Party insisted independent findings showed she was present at the LGI office with full documentation and was turned away.
Labour Party spokesperson, Ken Eluma Asogwa, condemned the action as a calculated attempt to punish free expression, citing Section 39(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to hold opinions. He urged President Tinubu to direct the NYSC to issue the certificate and to curb “overzealous state agents” bent on repressing dissent.
HUMAN rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, threatened legal action against NYSC, accusing it of “persecution” by extending Uguamaye’s service year.
“I am going to write to the Director General of the NYSC in the coming hours to put these facts officially before them,” Effiong said on Channels Television’s programme, The Morning Brief, yesterday.
“If they don’t give us a favourable answer, by virtue of Section 20 of the NYSC Act, I’ll write to the President and Commander-in-Chief. The law says if we are not satisfied, we should write to the President before legal action.”
Raye made headlines in March after she publicly criticised the present administration, accusing it of worsening Nigeria’s economic conditions.
