Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has taken aim at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) over its decision to withhold the discharge certificate of Lagos corps member and viral TikTok personality Ushie Uguamayei — better known online as Raye.
The move, reportedly linked to Raye’s fierce criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s handling of Nigeria’s economy, is “illegal” and smacks of “overzealousness,” Falana said in a statement on Sunday. He noted that no court had authorised the seizure.
Calling it a flashback to Nigeria’s military era, Falana likened the action to the 1988 confiscation of activist Bamidele Aturu’s certificate for refusing to shake a military governor’s hand. “Since Nigeria is under a democratic government, Rita Uguamayei’s fundamental right to criticise the government is guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution,” he said.
Falana even reminded NYSC officials of Tinubu’s own Democracy Day speech, where the President urged public officers not to suppress dissent and warned that silencing critics could “undermine democracy.” He insisted the certificate be released “without any further delay.”
Raye, who shot to online fame through her outspoken videos, had described Tinubu as a “terrible leader” and accused the government of worsening economic hardship. Her posts, often sharp and unfiltered, have earned her both praise from frustrated Nigerians and backlash from loyalists of the administration.
