Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has asked the National Youth Service Corps to immediately reverse the two-month extension of service handed to Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye.
Raye became an Internet sensation following her public criticism of the present administration, which she described as worsening economic conditions.
Uguamaye had, in a viral video shared on her TikTok account, @talktoraye, expressed frustration over Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions, lamenting the high inflation and economic hardship.
Uguamaye had also criticised the President by describing him as a “terrible leader” while questioning the government’s efforts to alleviate the hardship faced by the citizens.
Sowore, accompanied by activist and lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, on Tuesday, demanded that NYSC immediately release Raye’s Certificate of National Service.
The duo made the demand at the headquarters of the NYSC in Abuja on Tuesday, following Raye’s disclosure that she was denied her certificate after her mandatory one year of service.
The NYSC had issued a statement, alleging that Uguamaye failed to show up and sign her April clearance.
The corps buttressed the extension, adding that 131 other corps members were equally denied their certificates for various reasons.
Speaking to pressmen at the NYSC HQ, Sowore insisted that the actions taken against Uguamaye were punitive and a retaliation for her outspokenness on the state of the nation.
“As you are all aware, the NYSC has come out and stated her crime, supposedly, which was that she did not do her biometric. They did not accuse her of anything else. But we know that this is not what she did wrong because generally, even when it comes to clearance, NYSC is very lax.
“I think they tell people in camp that when you miss three clearances, you’re in trouble, not when it is once. So this is retaliation for her speaking against the hardship under the Tinubu government. We all know that,” he said.
Also speaking, Inibehe Effiong pointed out that the scheme was required to issue a certificate of national service, suggesting that Raye had served her nation, not the country, the NYSC or the President, describing the situation as an abuse of state institutions.
“What is issued to a corps member upon the completion of the mandatory one-year national service is a Certificate of National Service, not a certificate of Presidential service, not a certificate of governmental service. It is intentionally crafted by the NYSC Act as a certificate of national service, meaning service to the nation, service to the country.
“What that implies is that when you enrol for the NYSC, you’re offering yourself in service of your nation, not in service of your President. A corps member is not an employee of the president; a corps member is not even an employee of the DG of the NYSC.
“What has been done in the case of Rita Uguamaye is again another demonstration of the abuse of state institutions in our country,” he said.
Effiong held that Uguamaye’s troubles began after referring to the President as terrible, an opinion he insisted was factually correct, and shared by many Nigerians.
He claimed that Uguamaye had been traumatised by the situation and was in isolation.
He added that the Local Government Inspector for Etiosa local government, Mrs Veronica Abella, had seized Raye’s file in April, disallowing her from signing the biometric clearance.
He called on Nigerians to support the cause against the “scapegoating and intimidation” of Raye.
Sowore said, “We condemn these in the strongest possible terms. We enjoin Nigerians to join us in deprecating what has happened because who is going to be next? They will target other people. That is why, for us, it is always about the principle, that we have to oppose this, so that they don’t continue to repeat it.”
