Threats against National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) corps member Ushie Uguamaye, also known as Raye, have been denounced by Amnesty International and former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Raye shared a TikTok video in which she criticised the NYSC allowance’s insufficiency and Nigeria’s growing cost of living. Officials from the NYSC allegedly insulted her in one of the calls she later got requesting that she remove the video. Despite the pressure, Raye refused to take down the video, claiming that doing so would just quiet criticism of her predicament rather than prevent any consequences.
Ushie Uguamaye was commended by Atiku for her bravery, drawing comparisons to Nigerian female activists Margaret Ekpo and Funmilayo Ransom-Kuti. He asked that she be supported rather than intimidated, calling her a symbol of youth leadership. Amnesty International requested that the police stop threatening her and ensure her safety. Other public personalities also denounced the threats, including Human Rights attorney Inibehe Effiong and Lagos lawmaker Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. The political elite, Rhodes-Vivour claimed, were stifling popular criticism of economic suffering, and he claimed that Raye’s silence constituted an assault on free expression.
The incident has heightened calls for improved economic policies.
According to Effiong, NYSC corps members are free to voice their opinions on matters of national importance and are not categorised as civil servants. The event has rekindled corps members’ discontent with their ₦33,000 monthly stipend, which many believe is inadequate given inflation. The incident has heightened calls for improved economic policies and more robust protection of free speech, but the NYSC has not yet issued an official statement. Guidelines have been created by the National Youth Service Corps addressing corps members’ public behaviour, specifically with relation to debates of political and economic issues.
Corps members are expressly forbidden from participating in local Politics by the NYSC, which emphasises that this is a “no-go area.” Members of the corps are instead urged to concentrate on providing societally beneficial Community Development Services. Concerns regarding the sufficiency of corps members’ allowances in light of growing living expenses led the Federal Government to authorise a rise from 33,000 to 77,000 per month, which would take effect in February 2025. The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024 is in line with this modification, which attempts to ease corps members’ financial hardships.
Many corps members complain about their allowances’ insufficiency.
Some state governments have taken action to augment the stipends of corps members before this federal increase. To improve their wellbeing, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, for example, raised the state stipend for corps members from ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 in 2021. Many corps members still complain about their allowances in spite of these increases, pointing to the high Cost Of Living in different areas. For instance, some corps members in the Federal Capital Territory said that their ₦33,000 monthly stipend was insufficient, forcing them to depend on friends and family for sustenance.
One corps member reported spending well over the allotted amount of 80,000 per month on necessities like food and transportation. Several legal and advocacy options can be taken into consideration in order to defend the rights of Ushie Uguamaye (Raye), who was threatened after openly criticising the rising expense of living. Raye could file a Lawsuit against any people or organisations violating her right to free speech in order to obtain legal remedy. It would be wise to hire a human rights attorney to help her negotiate the legal system and make sure her rights are respected.
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Working with human rights groups like Amnesty International can help spread awareness of her situation and give her a platform to speak out against intimidation in general. These groups frequently provide support, advocacy, and legal aid to people whose rights are in jeopardy. Using Social Media and other channels to spread the word about her predicament can help her get support from the public and put pressure on the appropriate authorities to take action. The protection of individual rights can be effectively achieved through the use of public opinion.