Renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has waded into the case of Ushie Rita Uguamaye — popularly known online as Rita Raye — urging the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to immediately release her discharge certificate.
Falana described the NYSC’s action as “illegal, unlawful, and a cheap demonstration of overzealousness,” alleging it was a retaliatory move against the Lagos-based corps member for her public criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.
In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, Falana said the seizure had no legal basis.
“The seizure of the NYSC discharge certificate is illegal as it was not authorised by any competent court,” he said, warning that such acts were reminiscent of Nigeria’s military era.
Drawing from history
Falana recalled a similar incident in 1988, when the NYSC withheld the discharge certificate of the late human rights lawyer Bamidele Aturu after he refused to shake hands with the military governor of Niger State, Lt. Col. Lawan Gwadabe.
“That was under the Ibrahim Babangida military junta when human rights were put in abeyance,” he said. “Nigeria is now under a democratic government. Rita Uguamaye’s fundamental right to criticise the government is guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution.”
He also reminded the NYSC of President Tinubu’s own Democracy Day remarks, in which the president warned against silencing critics.
Quoting Tinubu, Falana said: “While slander and libel must not go unaddressed, no one should suffer injustice for simply writing a negative report about me or calling me names.”
Falana urged the NYSC to uphold these principles by releasing Rita’s certificate without delay.NYSC’s defence
Earlier the same day, the NYSC issued a statement insisting that Rita’s punishment had nothing to do with politics. The scheme maintained her certificate was withheld solely because she failed to attend the April 2025 biometric clearance — an infraction, they said, that automatically triggers a two-month extension under NYSC bye-laws.
“Rita is among the 131 corps members whose certificates were withheld for valid disciplinary reasons. This extension is standard procedure and not unique to her case,” the statement read.
Rita’s side of the story
Rita, however, says her absence from the biometric clearance was not deliberate. Speaking during an X Space hosted by activist Omoyele Sowore, she claimed her Local Government Inspector, identified as Veronica, refused to process her clearance in April despite her submitting the same documents she had used in previous months.
“She told me to get out of her office,” Rita recalled. “When the jury later called me, they didn’t want to hear my side.”
The corps member’s troubles began after a TikTok video she posted went viral. In it, she tearfully described soaring food prices, called President Tinubu a “terrible” leader, and accused the government of ignoring citizens’ suffering.
Rita alleged that after the video, NYSC officials began calling her repeatedly, pressuring her to delete it.
“These people know my address and where I live, and now they’ve begun threatening me,” she said. “It is so bad that you can’t even speak up about the government because they feel like they have chains to hold you.”
Growing support
Rita’s case has sparked a wave of public reaction. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Amnesty International have condemned the NYSC’s action, while Sowore has accused the authorities of trying to “silence criticism and suppress dissent.”
Sowore, who credits Rita’s activism with helping push NYSC to raise corps members’ allowance to ₦77,000, vowed: “We will not abandon her. Her fight is our fight.”
