By Edem Ekpo
Human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for withholding the discharge certificate of corps member Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye, describing the move as “vindictive and wicked.”
In a statement on Saturday, Sowore accused the NYSC of punishing Raye for openly criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration earlier this year.
“Raye spoke truth to power, and because of that, the system came after her,” Sowore wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We promised her we would fight, and that promise stands. This injustice will not stand unchallenged.”
Raye went viral in March after posting a video lamenting hunger, poverty, and hardship in Nigeria. Instead of addressing her concerns, Sowore alleged, the NYSC threatened her and pressured her to take down the post.
He recalled accompanying Raye and her legal team to a meeting at the NYSC office in Eti-Osa, Lagos, where officials allegedly attempted to intimidate her. “They summoned her, but when we showed up, the person who sent the summons vanished,” he said.
On June 18, Raye appeared before a disciplinary panel at the NYSC orientation camp in Iyana Ipaja. Weeks later, she was informed that her service had been extended by two months, preventing her from joining her peers in the Passing-Out Parade.
“This is textbook oppression,” Sowore declared. “They want to scare other corps members into silence. But we will fight, n the streets, in the media, and in court, until this sham decision is overturned.”
Linking Raye’s case to what he described as a broader crackdown on dissent, Sowore also referenced his recent detention. “It’s the same playbook, silence the critics, punish the dissidents, protect the oppressors,” he said.
Civil society groups have since rallied behind Raye, warning that the NYSC’s actions erode free speech and damage the scheme’s credibility.
Sowore urged Nigerians to sustain public pressure. “We will not rest until Raye gets her certificate, and her dignity back,” he vowed.