By Abdul Lauya
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has come under renewed scrutiny after withholding the discharge certificate of Ushie Rita Uguamaye, better known as “Raye”, a Lagos-based corps member who openly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier this year.
Raye’s troubles began in March, when she posted a viral TikTok video describing Lagos as a “smelling state” and calling the president a “terrible leader” while lamenting the economic hardship under his administration.
The clip drew widespread attention and backlash, with Raye later alleging that NYSC officials threatened her and demanded that she delete the video.
When the controversy seemed to have faded, her Local Government Inspector (LGI) summoned her to the Eti-Osa Local Government office, the location of her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).
By June, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reported that she faced a likely two-month extension of service despite being due to complete her year in July.
NYSC denied the report, but her lawyer, Segun Ojienoh, accused the agency of “lying through its teeth,” saying he had credible confirmation of the extension.
That extension became apparent when, one month and a few days later, Raye was denied her discharge certificate.
The NYSC maintains that the delay is purely administrative, citing her alleged failure to complete a mandatory April 2025 biometric clearance, a lapse they claim triggered a service extension, applied to over 130 other corps members.
Acting Director of Press and Public Relations, Carol Embu, dismissed political motives, insisting the Corps operates strictly by its rules.
But the timeline, from viral criticism to threats, to a contested extension, and now the missing certificate, has fuelled suspicion that NYSC is using bureaucratic procedure as a cloak for political payback.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the situation as “unacceptable,” calling for urgent action to ensure Raye receives her certificate.
Civil rights advocates warn that even if NYSC’s actions follow procedure, the optics suggest selective enforcement aimed at silencing dissent.
For Raye, the missing document is more than an administrative inconvenience; to her supporters, it is a potent reminder of the risks that come with speaking truth to power in Nigeria.
