Recall that the corps member raised an alarm on Sunday that
officials of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, were threatening her for
her criticism of Tinubu’s administration.
TUC President, Festus Osifo, who was a guest on Channels
Television’s Sunday Politics, said that the corps member spoke out of
frustration, urging the government not to go after her but to be tolerant of
critics.
The Lagos-based NYSC member, Ushie Uguamaye, had taken to TikTok to criticise Tinubu’s government over hardship Nigerians face as a result of the administration’s economic reforms.
Her video went viral and got the attention of NYSC officials
whom she later accused of calling her and issuing a threat to her to delete the
video.
Meanwhile, NYSC is yet to release an official statement
regarding the issue.
“They (government) have to develop this resilience to
understand that people are frustrated, people are hungry, people are tired. So,
if they decide to vent, I strongly believe that the government should not
personalise it and come after such individuals.
“Imagine a young lady carrying out her NYSC function, what
does she really have to do to bring down government? So, it is about personal
frustration that she has aired.
“So, I think that the government has to persevere much more,
they have to be more tolerant, and they have to have this deep level of patient
with Nigerians because people are passing through a lot as it stands today,”
TUC boss said.
Osifo, however, advised critics to always criticise the
government within the expected norm and with some level of decorum.
In a statement released earlier on Sunday, Amnesty
International also condemned the alleged threats and intimidation being faced
by the Lagos-based corps member.
It said that the Federal Government must stop threatening
individuals and groups who criticise the current administration.
“The Nigerian authorities must stop responding with violence
and threats to individuals and groups who express dissenting opinions — in
utter disregard for the Nigerian constitution and international law. Holding
and voicing dissenting views is not a crime,” the organisation wrote in a
statement on its X handle.