A National Youth Service Corps member in Lagos, Ushie Uguamaye, has claimed she is facing threats after posting a viral video criticising President Bola Tinubu’s government over inflation and economic hardship.
The video, which she posted on TikTok (@talktoraye) on Saturday, showed her expressing frustration over the rising cost of living and how hard work seems meaningless due to financial struggles.
She also called Tinubu a “terrible leader”, questioning what his government is doing to help Nigerians. In addition, she described Lagos State as a “smelling state”, blaming poor living conditions and environmental issues.
After her video went viral, Uguamaye said she began receiving threats from NYSC officials, who pressured her to take it down.
In response, she posted on Instagram (@iamraye__), saying she was being silenced for speaking the truth.
“Dear Nigerians, I am already getting threatened by the NYSC board to stop speaking on this issue. Less than 24 hours, I’m already getting threatened by the government, starting with the NYSC board!” she wrote.
She also raised concerns for her safety, saying that her address was known and if anything happened to her, Nigerians should know who to hold responsible.
“Dear Nigerians, they have my address. In case you guys don’t see me online, please you know who to hold accountable. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just asked that they work on the inflation.”
Uguamaye insisted that being an NYSC member does not take away her right to free speech.
“Why can’t I speak up? Being an NYSC corper doesn’t mean I signed away my right to complain. Why can’t the government listen to the criticisms of its citizens?” she asked.
She also alleged that NYSC officials were actively searching for her, with one officer asking people to “point her out”.
“She’s asking people to identify me? I’m not a criminal. Reading the NYSC rules, I didn’t commit any crime. Ask the NYSC lady to stop asking people to point me out—at this point, she’s acting scary.”
Despite the pressure, she said she would not delete the video, as doing so might put her in more danger.
“Deleting this content is of no use because they already know me. However, deleting it means whatever they do to me, nobody would know.”
