The Eti Osa Local Government Inspector (LGI) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lagos State was absent on Monday after summoning a corps member, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, over her viral social media video criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and a team of lawyers, had accompanied Rita to the NYSC office in Eti-Osa LGA for the scheduled meeting but the LGI was absent.
Recall the female Corps member was instructed to report to the NYSC office in Eti-Osa LGA at 10am on Monday following the controversy over her anti-Tinubu video on TikTok. However, upon arrival with Sowore and her legal representatives, the NYSC Inspector, who issued the summons, was nowhere to be found.
Providing an update via his X (formerly Twitter) account, Sowore stated, “We arrived at the Eti-Osa LGI offices of the National Youth Service Corps with youth Corper, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, in Lagos.
“She was scheduled to appear before the LGI today and we escorted her to their offices with attorneys Festus Ogun, Adeyinka Oyesomi, and Ojienoh Justice, but the LGI official had absconded, failing to show up throughout our stay.
“We will be back! #RevolutionNow #tinubuisaterriblepresident.”
Recall that Sowore had earlier written on his X that he was accompanying Rita to the LGI’s office, saying: “The journey with youth Corper, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, has commenced in Lagos. She is scheduled to appear before the LGI today, and we will escort her to their offices. We are all en route with attorneys.”
LEADERSHIP reports that Rita found herself at the centre of controversy after posting a video on TikTok under the handle @talktoraye, in which she tearfully criticised the rising cost of goods in Nigeria and labelled Tinubu a “terrible president”.
In the video, she lamented the financial struggles corps members face due to economic hardship, stating that her NYSC allowance was insufficient to cover even basic expenses.
“So, I am coming from a supermarket where I went to get foodstuff, and everything has gone up again. It’s just like every single week, prices keep increasing. I want to know what the government is doing about this increase. Is there going to be a particular time when prices will stop going up?”
“Why am I going to get a crate of eggs, and I’m told it costs N6,500? It doesn’t make any sense that eggs would cost that much. I literally remember when eggs cost N800. I am so overwhelmed because this is the first time I’ve stayed out of my family house.”
She also highlighted the burden of high transportation and utility costs, saying, “The money I spend on transportation is much more than the allowance the federal government pays us. We should start calling out the government. For example, Tinubu, you are a terrible person. What are you doing to help our economy?”
The video quickly went viral, drawing both support and criticism.
Less than 24 hours after posting the video, Rita posted another video on Instagram alleging that she received a call from NYSC officials pressuring her to delete it. She later shared another video, revealing details of the conversation.
Rita also expressed concerns for her safety, noting that NYSC officials had access to her personal information.
“These people know my address and where I live, and now they’ve begun threatening me. It is so bad that you can’t even just speak up about the government because they feel like they have chains to hold you.
“She was telling me that I was insulting the president. I never insulted the president; I said he was terrible. That is not an insult. It is a statement.” Rita also said she was asked to report to the NYSC office before 10:00am on Monday.
The incident has sparked widespread reactions, with many Nigerians questioning whether corps members should be restricted from expressing their views on governance and national issues.
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