A corps member who allegedly received threats from National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) authorities for voicing disapproval of the President Bola Tinubu administration has drawn attention from the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
However, the head of the TUC recommended critics always criticise the administration within the conventional
bounds and with a certain amount of decorum.
The corps member spoke out of exasperation, according to TUC President Festus Osifo, who was a guest on a media
programme. He advised the government to be tolerant of critics rather than pursue her.
Ushie Uguamaye, a member of the NYSC from Lagos, had taken to TikTok to attack Tinubu’s administration for the
economic reforms that have caused Nigerians to suffer.
She later accused NYSC officials of phoning her and threatening to have her remove the video when it became viral
and attracted their notice. NYSC has not yet issued a formal statement on the matter.
But 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 the
government? So, it is about personal frustration that she has aired.
“So, I think that the government have to persevere much more; they have to be more tolerant, and they have to have
this deep level of patience with Nigerians because people are passing through a lot as it stands today.”
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However, the head of the TUC recommended critics always criticise the administration within the conventional
bounds and with a certain amount of decorum.
Amnesty International denounced the alleged threats and harassment that a corps member located in Lagos was subjected to in a statement issued earlier on Sunday.
It stated that the federal government must cease threatening people and organisations who oppose the existing government.
“The Nigerian authorities must stop responding with violence and threats to individuals and groups who express dissenting opinions — in utter disregard for the Nigerian constitution and international law. Holding and voicing dissenting views is not a crime,” the organisation in a statement on its X handle.
