President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to order the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to stop harassing and intimidating Ushie Uguamaye, a corps member, after she criticised the government in a TikTok video that went viral.
While working in Lagos, Uguamaye uploaded a video in which he bemoaned the growing expense of living, referred to Tinubu as a “dreadful president,” and described Lagos as a “smelling state.” She later said she was called by NYSC officials to remove the video, and on March 17, 2025, she was called to appear before a panel at the NYSC Eti-Osa secretariat. She also voiced worries about her safety, claiming that threats against her were growing and that her personal information had been compromised.
In a response on Sunday, March 16, 2025, SERAP said that freedom of expression is a basic right and denounced the NYSC’s purported actions. The group threatened to take legal action if the intimidation persisted.
“Everyone is free to express disapproval of their government without worrying about retaliation. One of the essential rights is the freedom of expression. If the threat is not quickly retracted, we’ll see in court,” SERAP said.
The group stressed that the NYSC must cease treating criticism as a criminal and urged the Tinubu administration to protect Uguamaye and stop any additional intimidation.
CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, Allschoolabs
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