The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has extended the service year of Rita Ushie, popularly known on Instagram as Raye, by two months following her viral criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration over worsening economic hardship.
Raye, an NYSC member serving in Lagos, had some couple of months ago posted a video on social media condemning government policies that have contributed to the rising cost of living in Nigeria.
In the video, Ms Uguamaye called President Tinubu a “terrible leader,” questioning his commitment to addressing economic hardship and citizens’ welfare. Her remarks about the president Tinubu and his policies drew widespread reactions.
Following the outrage, the corps member was asked to deleted the video and report to her Local Government Inspector(LGI). During the visit, she was accompanied by the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and Human Rights Lawyer Festus Ogun. The LGI was, however, unavailable.
Meanwhile, Sowore has criticised the action of the NYSC, saying it has no right to punish her over criticism of Tinubu.
In a post on his X handle, he said: “The @officialnyscng is not Tinubu’s Personal Service, but a National Service enforced by law on young graduates; therefore, no one should be penalized for speaking up against bad governance. Standing up against tyranny is also a form of National Service. #NoRITARAYENoPOP!”
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