The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has denied online reports claiming that Corps Member Ushie Rita Uguamaye, known as “Raye” (State Code: LA/24B/8325), was refused her Certificate of National Service due to her criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In an expanded statement released on Sunday, the NYSC dismissed the circulating allegations as baseless and unfounded, stressing that the decision to extend her service was a routine administrative measure applied to corps members who did not complete mandatory clearance procedures within the prescribed timeframe — a process the agency says is entirely procedural and not politically motivated.
The statement — published and shared with national media outlets including Tribune — clarified that Raye is among 131 corps members whose Certificate of National Service (CNS) was withheld. The NYSC explained that the withholding was not punitive action taken in response to dissent or public comments, but was imposed for specific, verifiable breaches of the scheme’s clearance requirements.
“Contrary to these claims, Raye is one of 131 corps members whose CNS was withheld not as punishment for dissent, but for valid disciplinary reasons. Specifically, her service year was extended by two months because she failed to attend the April biometric clearance, as required by the NYSC Bye-Laws,” the statement read in part, the agency said.
The NYSC emphasised that biometric clearance is a compulsory administrative step for the completion of national service, and that failure to attend scheduled biometric sessions automatically triggers the extension of service until clearance is obtained. The scheme added that such sanctions have consistently formed part of its operational procedures and are applied uniformly across the board.
According to the release, affected corps members were informed individually and given clear instructions on how to regularise their status by completing outstanding clearance steps. The NYSC urged the public to verify facts with official channels before sharing unverified reports on social media, warning that misinformation can needlessly inflame public sentiment and cause distress to the individuals involved.
Raye first attracted public attention after a TikTok video in which she criticised the Tinubu administration and described Lagos as “smelling” went widely viral. Following the online backlash that followed the clip, she later issued an apology. The NYSC reiterated that public statements by corps members do not form part of its disciplinary considerations unless they breach specific conduct rules that the scheme enforces.
The Corps said it remains committed to transparent procedures and fair treatment of all participants in the national service programme. It also invited any corps member who believes they have been unfairly treated to contact the NYSC’s verification and complaints unit so their case can be reviewed through established administrative channels.
The NYSC concluded by reminding the public that the CNS is issued only after all clearance conditions are duly satisfied and that extensions of service for administrative non-compliance are a standard, non-political enforcement of those rules.