Sowore Blasts NYSC Over Rita Raye Certificate Denial

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has renewed his condemnation of what he described as ongoing injustice against National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member Rita Uguamaye, widely known as “Raye.” She was denied her discharge certificate last Thursday, an act Sowore says will not go unchallenged.

“I was fully prepared to stand with Raye to ensure she received her @officialnyscng discharge certificate,” Sowore said. “However, I was unlawfully detained in Abuja by the criminal @officialABAT regime. We had promised to fight for her justice, and that promise remains unbroken. We will not stop until we win and dismantle this oppressive system.”

Sowore commended Raye’s courage, crediting her for securing a ₦77,000 monthly allowance for her fellow corps members. “It was Raye’s courage that pushed the authorities to raise the allowance for her colleagues,” he stated. “We will not abandon her. Her fight is our fight.”

The activist stressed that her case is part of a broader struggle against systemic oppression in Nigeria, calling on citizens to stay resolute.

Raye’s ordeal began in March after she posted a viral video criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration over worsening economic hardship. She alleged that NYSC officials threatened her to delete the post. Civil rights groups and Nigerians nationwide condemned the move, accusing the NYSC of suppressing free speech.

Following the incident, the NYSC extended her service year by two months. Summoned first to the Eti-Osa Local Government office with Sowore and her legal team, the official who issued the summons failed to appear. The matter resurfaced on June 18 when she was called before another panel at the Iyana Ipaja NYSC orientation camp in Lagos. After repeated delays, she was told her extension stood as punishment.

In June, Sowore had vowed to lead a mass mobilisation to the Passing-Out Parade (POP) if Raye was not cleared to complete her service. He accused the Tinubu administration of unjustly targeting her, warning that “the Tinubu regime might go down with the Rita Raye NYSC matter.”

A vocal critic of the government, Sowore has consistently fought for justice, youth rights, and the protection of free expression in Nigeria.