Human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that Ushie Uguamaye, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration over economic hardship, is under intense pressure to issue a public apology.
Sowore, who accompanied Uguamaye to the NYSC Local Government Inspector’s (LGI) office in Lagos on Monday alongside a team of lawyers, claimed that government officials, including ministers, have been reaching out to persuade the corps member to retract her statements.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday night, Sowore insisted that Uguamaye committed no crime by exercising her right to freedom of expression in criticizing the Tinubu-led government.
Uguamaye gained widespread attention after a video she posted on TikTok went viral. In the footage, she expressed frustration over Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions, lamenting the persistent rise in inflation and economic hardship.
“I am coming from a supermarket where I went to get foodstuff, and everything has gone up again. It’s just like every single week, prices keep increasing,” she said.
She further questioned the government’s efforts to address these economic challenges and directly criticized President Tinubu, describing him as a “terrible leader.”
“I don’t know if there is any other president that is as terrible as you (Tinubu),” she stated.
Following the video’s circulation, Uguamaye alleged that she had received threats over her comments. She also shared a screenshot of an NYSC invitation summoning her to appear before the LGI office in Eti Osa 3 on Monday at 10:00 a.m.
Sowore, in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), revealed that he had met with Uguamaye in Lagos and accompanied her to the NYSC LGI office alongside attorneys.
“The journey with youth corper, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, has commenced in Lagos. She is scheduled to appear before the LGI today, and we will escort her to their offices,” Sowore posted.
Later, he provided an update stating that despite their visit to the Eti-Osa NYSC office, the LGI officials failed to show up throughout their stay. “We will be back!” he added.
