- Safiu Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has cleared air surrounding his controversial comment on Ushie Rita, the Youth Corp member who called the President a “terrible President”.
Ajayi had yesterday, triggered public outage after calling for capital punishment on the Corp member in his comment on a Facebook post.
“If she is not a corper, she can say whatever she fancies like people do per second. Citizens can abuse a living day out of their President or any public official. It is normal,
“But a corper violated her oath and code of conduct here. That is capital punishment under NYSC.”
“You can’t abuse the country you are serving as a corper under any guise and the symbol of sovereign authority, which is the president. She should be punished to the fullest extent, not just warned.” Ajayi had written.
This had ever since been met with heavy backlash from members of the public as they slammed the President’s aide.
Responding to the criticism in a statement issued yesterday, Ajayi held that his comment on the Corp member was twisted and misinterpreted.
He maintained that he had only called for a full disciplinary measures against the Corp member for her disregard for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) By-law.
This, according to him, is expulsion which is the maximum punishment under the NYSC protocol.
Ajayi reiterated that the NYSC scheme is a historic and treasured national programme that should not be sullied and ridiculed by indiscipline.
“It has become imperative to dispel the misrepresentation and patent mischief that has trailed my comment on a Facebook post.
“I suggested that flagrant and open abuse and disregard of NYSC by-laws and established protocol should attract the full NYSC disciplinary measures, particularly regarding a corps member’s recent display of imprudence.
“It is trite to say the maximum punishment under the NYSC protocol is expulsion; nothing beyond the established norms and laws is suggested or remotely implied.
“The NYSC scheme is a historic and treasured national programme that should not be sullied and ridiculed by indiscipline. It symbolises our triumph over division and consistent effort to forge a more potent and virile union.
“Most importantly, we should abide by our old cherished values of dignity, discipline, and respect for one another as citizens.” The statement read.