The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has extended the service time of corps member Rita Ushie, known as Raye on Instagram, by an extra two months.
This action comes as a response to her public criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Raye gained attention back in March when she posted a heartfelt video on TikTok, expressing her concerns about Nigeria’s deteriorating economic situation.
In the video, she described the Tinubu administration as “terrible” and shared her struggles with rising living costs. Following this, she alleged that officials from the NYSC threatened her and asked her to remove the video, which led to significant public outrage.
Many Nigerians and civil rights groups condemned the NYSC’s reaction, viewing it as an attack on free speech.
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After facing backlash, Raye was summoned by an NYSC inspector in Lagos but found that the official was not present when she arrived, accompanied by her legal team and activist Omoyele Sowore. The issue seemed to diminish in attention after that.
However, on June 18, Raye was called to the NYSC orientation camp in Lagos again to appear before a disciplinary panel. Despite a lack of clear communication and delays, she eventually learned that her service year would be extended by another two months as punishment.
A coordinator from the Take It Back Movement, Jonathan Ugbal shared that Raye was very upset by this decision. He mentioned that her mother called him, saying Raye was crying after hearing the news.
Ugbal also noted that despite her financial struggles, Raye went to the camp as directed and even apologized to staff who felt embarrassed by the public reaction to her video.
In her original TikTok video, Raye was in tears, highlighting how difficult it had become for her to make ends meet. She conveyed that her earnings were no longer enough to cover basic expenses, accusing the government of neglecting the suffering of ordinary people.