Rita Uguamaye, a National Youth Service Corps member known as Raye, has written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu asking him to reverse what she calls an unfair two-month extension of her service year.
Working with human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, Uguamaye claims NYSC officials extended her service as punishment for publicly criticizing government policies. She believes this violates her right to free speech.
According to the petition sent to the President, NYSC Director-General, and National Human Rights Commission, Uguamaye showed up for her required April 2025 monthly clearance on April 7th.
However, her Local Government Inspector, Ms. Veronica Abela, allegedly refused to process her clearance.
The petition states that NYSC officials then falsely claimed she had missed the April clearance entirely, using this as grounds to extend her service year by two months.
Effiong says the Lagos State NYSC Coordinator had previously threatened Uguamaye with a service extension after she criticized government policies online.
He argues this threat has now been carried out in violation of her constitutional rights.
The legal team first petitioned the NYSC Director-General on August 11, 2025, but received no response. This prompted them to take the matter directly to President Tinubu.
Effiong warns that politically motivated punishment of corps members could harm Nigeria’s democracy. He’s asking the President to immediately reverse the extension and release Uguamaye’s discharge certificate.
If no action is taken, Uguamaye’s lawyers say they will pursue the case in court. They argue the situation violates her rights to free expression and fair treatment under Nigerian law.
