Atiku berates NYSC for withholding Raye’s discharge certificate and lying about the circumstances
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has knocked the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for withholding the discharge certificate of Ushie Rita Uguamaye, known as Raye on social media, for criticising Bola Tinubu’s poor governance in March.
She called the President a “terrible leader” in a 30-day rant challenge on Tik Tok, a take applauded and emulated by other G zeers, all of who joined Raye to cite Tinubu’s mismanagement of the economy that has unleashed unprecedented hardship on citizens North and South.
The NYSC denied when it was reported about two months ago that some of its overzealous officials were plotting to prevent Raye from participating in the passing out parade (PoP) in an escalation of their harassment since she bashed Tinubu.
Atiku described withholding her discharge as “unacceptable” and politically motivated, saying it is wrong to punish a citizen for exercising her right to free expression.
He urged the authorities to act swiftly to resolve the matter, warning that such incidents undermine public trust in national institutions.
“What manner of impunity is this? Everything should not be subjected to politics,” Atiku wrote on X on Sunday.
“I hope that Ushie Rita Uguamaye’s NYSC discharge certificate is not being withheld because she had the courage to complain about the economic hardship under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
“It is unacceptable that the young lady, who had served her country without queries, should not have received her National Youth Service Corps certificate one year after passing out.
“The appropriate authorities should take urgent steps to ensure that she gets her discharge certificate.”
Raye has completed her one-year mandatory NYSC service in Lagos, where gained public attention in March after her viral video in which she lamented rising living costs and economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
She disclosed on Instagram on Saturday that she was denied her NYSC certificate when she went to collect it alongside her colleagues.
She said officials claimed she failed to do her April clearance on the scheduled date, a claim she refuted.
According to her, she had presented herself for clearance but was repeatedly told by her Local Government Inspector to wait.
Raye alleged that the LGI later refused to clear her, seized her file, and asked her to leave the office.
“I did not get my NYSC certificate today after one year of serving this country.
“I literally went there with my cohort, or should I say the people we served together, and when it got to my turn, they said no certificate for you.”
Raye rejected the explanation given by the NYSC, insisting she showed up for clearance but was deliberately denied by her LGI, who she alleged, seized her file.
“After one year of moving to another man’s land, to serve my country, ended with no certificate and telling me to come for final verdict that we already know how it’ll end,” she added in an accompanying caption.
“I genuinely wish I wasn’t a Lagos state Corper because it’s a waste of my time. I can’t say moving here was bad but serving here isn’t all pleasure.
“Just to add to it, they said the reason I’m not getting my certificate is because I didn’t clear myself for the month of April on my scheduled date.
“But what they aren’t saying is how I was present to get cleared, yet the LGI kept asking me to go to the back, and when she finally wanted to attend to me, she said she wouldn’t clear me.
“She seized my file and told me to get out. This is a long story, and I don’t mind waking up at midnight to tell the story.
“The deep-rooted anger I feel and hatred is crazy because I don’t know who to direct it to.
“But I wish myself the best. And I’m closing this chapter.”
An NYSC discharge certificate is issued to Nigerian graduates aged under 30 years who complete the mandatory one-year national service.
By law, except lawfully exempted, any graduate under 30 without an NYSC discharge certificate is barred from employment in any establishment in Nigeria, public or private.
Read also:
NYSC denies extending Raye’s service year by 2 months for bashing Tinubu as a “terrible leader”
Lagos corps member, Uguamaye, alleges NYSC withheld her certificate for criticising Tinubu
NYSC denies political motive in withheld certificate of corps member
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