Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to release without delay the Discharge Certificate of Lagos corps member, Ushie Rita Uguamayei, describing its seizure as illegal and unconstitutional.
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In a statement on Saturday, Falana condemned the NYSC’s action, which he said was allegedly in retaliation for Uguamayei’s criticism of the Bola Tinubu administration’s economic policies. He argued that the move amounted to “a cheap demonstration of overzealousness” and was not backed by any court order.
“The seizure of the NYSC Discharge Certificate is illegal as it was not authorised by any competent court,” Falana said. “It is a sad reminder of the confiscation of the NYSC Discharge Certificate of the late Bamidele Aturu in 1988, under the Ibrahim Babangida military junta, when human rights were put in abeyance.”
He stressed that under Nigeria’s democratic dispensation, Uguamayei’s right to criticise the government is protected by Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
Falana also cited President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech, where the president warned public officials against suppressing dissent and stated that “no one should suffer injustice for simply writing a negative report” about him.
“In line with the President’s commitment to encourage Nigerians to criticise the government, the NYSC should release Rita Uguamayei’s Discharge Certificate without any further delay,” Falana insisted.
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