Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has spoken out against what he called a serious injustice towards National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member Rita Uguamaye aka Raye.
Raye was denied her final discharge certificate last Thursday.
Sowore, at the weekend, took to his official X account to promise that he would continue to fight for Raye’s justice.
He wrote: “We had promised to fight for her justice, and that promise remains unbroken.”
Sowore praised Raye for her bravery and said her activism had led to a positive change for other corps members.
He said: “It was Raye’s courage that pushed the authorities to raise the allowance for her colleagues. We will not abandon her. Her fight is our fight.”
Earlier in March this year, Raye posted a viral video where she lamented the hardship being experienced under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
As a result, the NYSC extended her service year by two months.
She also claimed that NYSC officials threatened her to delete the video.
The case drew criticism from civil rights groups who accused the NYSC of trying to silence people who speak out.
After the video went viral, the NYSC Local Government Inspector in Eti-Osa; Lagos State, summoned Raye to appear at the council office. When she appeared with Sowore and her lawyers, the official avoided them.
The issue came up again on June 18 when Raye was summoned to a disciplinary panel at the Iyana Ipaja NYSC orientation camp in Lagos.
After several delays, she was told that her service year had been extended as a form of punishment.
This delay prevented her from getting her discharge certificate on time.
