The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has refuted claims that it extended the service year of a corps member, Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye, in response to her public criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Raye recently went viral on social media after she voiced her dissatisfaction with the current economic hardship in Nigeria. In a video posted to her TikTok account, @talktoraye, she lamented the rising inflation and deteriorating living conditions, referring to President Tinubu as a “terrible leader.” She also described Lagos State as a “smelling state” with poor living standards.
Following the widespread attention her video received, Raye claimed in a follow-up post that she was being harassed by NYSC officials who allegedly demanded that she take the video down. However, the NYSC has not publicly addressed these allegations of threats.
The situation drew reactions from notable figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. Sowore shared a news headline suggesting that NYSC had punitively extended Raye’s service year by two months due to her comments, and he threatened to mobilise a protest at the corps’ Passing Out Parade if the decision was not reversed.
“This Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime might go down with Rita Raye’s National Youth Service Corps matter,” Sowore wrote, calling for action.
In response, NYSC’s acting Director of Press and Public Relations, Carol Embu, dismissed the reports, clarifying that service extension decisions are made only at the time of passing out and based strictly on NYSC guidelines.
“Who is Sowore? Does he work with the NYSC? So, how come you are listening to him? I don’t understand how she will get an extension if she is still serving. NYSC is not an irresponsible organisation; we work with rules and regulations,” Embu stated.
As of the time of this report, Uguamaye has not made any official post or confirmation on her verified social media pages regarding an extension of her service year.