NYSC CORPS MEMBER ALLEGEDLY THREATENED FOR CRITICIZING NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
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A heated controversy has erupted following allegations that a corps member, Rita, received threats after posting a video criticizing the Nigerian government.
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According to Rita, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) official aggressively confronted her over the video, stating, *”Come on, keep quiet there. Pull down that rubbish you put there. You are not talking to your mate.”
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Rita, in response, questioned, *”Are you threatening me?”* She later recounted that the official called her, yelling at her to delete the video.
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FEAR OF RETALIATION AND SAFETY CONCERNS
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Expressing her concerns, Rita revealed that corps members are required to provide personal information, including their phone numbers and residential addresses, during registration. This, she believes, makes them vulnerable to intimidation.
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“These people know my address and where I live, and now they’ve begun threatening me,” she said, highlighting fears over her safety.
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She lamented the inability of citizens to openly express their views on governance without facing backlash. “It is so bad that you can’t even just speak up about the government because they feel like they have chains to hold you,”* she said.
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Defending her stance, she argued that her statement about the president was not an insult but an observation. *”She was telling me that I was insulting the president. I never insulted the president. I said he is terrible. That is not an insult, it is a statement.”*
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CALL FOR ATTENTION AMID FINANCIAL STRUGGLES
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Rita also disclosed her ongoing financial struggles, stating that she is battling depression and struggling to survive.
“My bank account is going to zero, and I still have to live every day. I’m asking the Nigerian government to do something about inflation. Instead of receiving a call saying, ‘Ok, we are working on it,’ I’m getting a call saying, ‘You are very stupid. Why did you do that to Tinubu? Take down that video.’”
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NATIONAL OUTRAGE AND PUBLIC REACTIONS
The incident has sparked widespread reactions across Nigeria, with many citizens debating whether corps members should be restricted from expressing their opinions on governance and national affairs.
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The controversy continues to gain traction, with many demanding that the government and NYSC address these allegations and ensure that corps members are not subjected to threats or harassment for exercising their freedom of speech.
