Photo combo of NYSC logo and Rita Ushie Uguamaye, popularly known as "Raye"
Global Rights, an international human rights organisation has condemned the decision of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to withhold the passing-out certificate of Rita Ushie Uguamaye, popularly known as “Raye” after she has successfully completed the one-year compulsory service.
Uguamaye, came to national limelight after she posted a video online lamenting the hardship in the country and the deplorable condition of the Lagos State environment.
The group noted the action appeared to be a “continuation of the disturbing trend of government sanctioned reprisals against citizens for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression.’’
The group made this known in a statement made available to NATIONAL ACCORD and signed by the organisation’s programme officer, Damilola Decker. The statement is with the title: “Silencing the youth: NYSC’s withholding of Rita Ushie Uguamaye’s certificate is an attack on free expression”.
According to the organisation, for expressing her opinion on the policies of the Tinubu led administration, the NYSC extended her service by two months, adding that it has “now refused to release her certificate, which it noted constituted a further punitive measure, one that is deeply troubling and wholly unacceptable in a democracy.’’
“This development comes in the same week that prominent activist, Omoyele Sowore was unlawfully arrested and reportedly tortured on the orders of the Inspector General of Police , another alarming signal of the increasingly authoritarian posture of state actors, it raises a fundamental question: do government officials respect the very laws they swore to uphold?’’
Quoting section 39 of the 1999 of Nigerian constitution as amended, it stated that the right to freedom of expression which includes the right to dissent against government policies is guaranteed adding that the “this right is not a privilege to be granted at the convenience of those in power, it is a cornerstone of democratic governance, Suppressing it particularly among young Nigerians who already have dwindling faith in the state only deepens the divide between government and citizens.’’
It pointed out that “with the youth forming 65 percent of Nigeria’s population, silencing young voices undermines the nation’s future, adding that ‘’organizing youth conferences will not repair the damage caused when authorities equate dissent with treason and wield power to silence critics.”
It therefore demanded the “immediate release of Uguamaye’s NYSC certificate and an end to any attempt to blacklist her or obstruct her future employment prospects while advising that the current administration “should retrace its footsteps before it earns its own certificate for authoritarianism.
