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A source at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) National Headquarters in Abuja has told The Meridian Spy that corps member Ushie Rita Ugwuamaye, popularly known as “Raye,” who serves in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, failed to attend her mandatory April biometric clearance. This, the source said, is the reason her Certificate of National Service (CNS) has not been issued.
According to the insider, neither the Local Government Inspector (LGI) nor the NYSC had anything against Miss Ugwuamaye, despite the noise on social media. The source insisted that Rita deliberately avoided the clearance out of fear and later tried to “whip up public sympathy” by portraying herself as a victim.
The official told The Meridian Spy that the two-month service extension she was given is a standard sanction under the NYSC bylaws for corps members who fail to complete their clearance, stressing that it was not a personal punishment.
He further alleged that Rita was exploiting the unpopularity of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to gain support from Nigerians already dissatisfied with the government.
“How do you think a girl who had become popular, with several national activists fighting for her, would show up for her April clearance and the LGI would dare to deny her, knowing what was at stake? And yet, she did not speak up immediately?” he asked.
He argued that if she had truly been denied clearance as claimed, she would have raised the alarm instantly, given her public profile and activist backing. Instead, she remained silent until now.
“Let’s tell ourselves the truth: if it was Pastor Adeboye or a renowned Muslim cleric whom Rita had insulted, would everyone supporting her now still be supporting her? Or is it because it’s Tinubu?”
The source concluded that, in order to preserve its integrity, the NYSC had to ensure she followed due process as stipulated in its bylaws. Hence, the two-month extension stands as the standard penalty for failing to complete the final clearance process.
Rita, who criticised President Tinubu in a video a few months ago, raised an alarm two days ago, claiming she had not been issued her NYSC certificate despite completing her service. She further alleged that the NYSC office in her local government refused to clear her during the April exercise.
