Mr Festus Osifoh, TUC President
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who faced threats from NYSC officials for criticizing President Bola Tinubu led administration.
TUC President Festus Osifo, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, argued that the corps member, Ushie Uguamaye, spoke out of frustration and urged the government to olerate critics rather than target them.
Uguamaye, a Lagos-based NYSC member, had posted a viral TikTok video criticizing the government’s economic reforms, which have caused hardship for many Nigerians.
Following the video’s popularity, NYSC officials allegedly called her, threatening her to delete the video.
While the NYSC has yet to release an official statement on the matter, the TUC’s stance highlights the importance of allowing citizens to express their opinions without fear of retribution ¹.
The TUC boss said, “They (government) have to develop this resilience to understand that people are frustrated, people are hungry, people are tired. So, if they decide to vent, I strongly believe that the government should not personalise it and come after such individuals.
“Imagine a young lady carrying out her NYSC function, what does she really have to do to bring down government? So, it is about personal frustration that she has aired.
“So, I think that the government has to persevere much more, they have to be more tolerant, and they have to have this deep level of patient with Nigerians because people are passing through a lot as it stands today.”
The TUC boss, however, advised critics to always criticise the government within the expected norm and with some level of decorum.
