- Safiu Kehinde
Inibehe Effiong, human rights lawyer and legal counsel to embattled National Youths Service Corp (NYSC) member, Ushie Rita Uguamaye, popularly known as Raye, has faulted the scheme’s claim of withholding the Corp member’s certificate for being absent for biometric clearance.
NPO Reported that Raye had in a post on her social media handle cried out after the Eti-Osa Local Government Inspector, Mrs. Veronica Agbele, seized her certificate after the 2024 Batch B Passing Out Parade.
She claimed to have had her service year extended by two months.
The development had triggered public outrage with her viral video where she called President Bola Tinubu a ‘Terrible President’ cited as reason behind the extension of her service year.
In response, the NYSC in a statement issued on Sunday claimed that the embattled corp member was penalised with her certificate withheld because she was absent for the biometric clearance for the month of April.
Reaction to the NYSC’s claim in an interview on Channels TV’s Morning Brief programme of Monday, Inibehe labelled the scheme’s claim as false.
He disclosed how the Eti-Osa LGI, Mrs. Veronica Agbele, had refused to clear Raye in the month of April despite attending the Community Development Service (CDS) where her colleagues were cleared.
Inibehe alleged that Agbele intentionally delayed Raye for six hours before ordering her out of her office.
The embattled corp member would again return to the LGI’s office four days later but was told that the portal for the April clearance has closed.
“The statement issued by the National Youths Service Corps yesterday is quite unfortunate. It betrays the very idea behind the establishment of the NYSC. In that statement, they claimed that Raye is being penalised in compliance with the by-laws of the Corps and that her service period has been extended for two months and her certificate of National service withheld because she was absent for the biometric clearance for the month of April.
“But the truth of the matter not only the Raye Rita Oguamaye present herself for clearance in the month of April, specifically on the 7th of April, she also attended the CDS which took place on the same date.
“If you are saying that a Corp Member did not undergo clearance for a particular month, one will want to know what her reason was for missing her clearance.
“They haven’t said anything in that regard. And the simple reason is because what the NYSC has said publicly is completely false. This lady presented herself before her LGI, the Local Government Inspector of Eti-Osa local government, one Mrs Veronice Agbele.
“This is the same woman who not only ignore her. Initially, she claimed oh go and join the queue, go to the back. She complied of course. It got to her turn again; she would send her to the back again. Raye spent six hours, pleading, begging, almost prostrating to be cleared. She refused to clear her.
“And guess what? She seized her clearance letter. Mrs Veronice Agbele collected the clearance letter and pretended as if she did not want to attend to her.
“When she kept pleading, the woman now started verbally attacking her. She persisted. She then told her she was not going to clear her, asked her to get out, that she would not attend to her.
“And Raye said Madam please, assuming I have done anything by the NYSC by-law, I am supposed to face the NYSC Corps disciplinary committee.
“That infuriated the woman the more that who are you to even make a suggestion about what the by-law says? She ordered her to leave. What was she supposed to do after six hours?
“On the 11th of April, Raye went back to Mrs Veronica Agbele’s office, begged her to please clear her for the month of April. She said nothing can be done as they have finished monthly clearance.” Inibehe said.