Corps Member That Called Tinubu ‘Terrible' President Deserves to be Punished to The Fullest Extent, Not Just Warned.”- Tinubu's Aide

Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the President Bola Tinubu’s media aide, Temitope Ajayi, on Monday, said that the corps member who called his principal a “terrible” leader deserves to be punished to the fullest extent, not just been warned.

OTN News further reports that the presidential aide who showed on his Facebook page that he was not pleased with what the serving corp member said, called for her head, justifying that because she is a corps member.

According to him, “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.”

He added, “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.”

Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has come to the defence of the corps member, saying, “Criticising the president or the government is not an offence under the NYSC Act (See Section 13). It is also not an offence under the NYSC Bye-Laws (See Section 4 of the Revised Bye-Laws, 2011)."

Mr Effiong added, “I have watched all the videos of this lady that are being debated. There is nothing slightly partisan in her comments.”

The rights lawyer noted that Ms Uguamaye “merely expressed her justified frustrations with the state of affairs in the country, particularly the impact of the scourging” inflation on her and other Nigerians.

“That is within her constitutional right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” Mr Effiong explained.

OTN News recalls that Amnesty International, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have condemned attempts to silence critics of the incumbent president, including intimidation of Ms Uguamaye, praising her courageousness to voice out her distress.

However, OTN News had earlier reported that, Ushie ‘Raye’ Uguamaye, the corper, had in a recent TikTok post, criticised Tinubu for handling the administration of the country in a very poor execution.

According to her, “I am coming from a supermarket where I went to get foodstuff, and everything has gone up again,” Ms Uguamaye had said in a TikTok video. “It’s just like every single week, prices keep increasing. I want to know, what is the government doing about this increase?” 

“If a lot of Nigerians come out and start speaking about what we are going through, maybe changes will be made in the government. I don’t know if there is any other president that is as terrible as you (Mr Tinubu). But you (Mr Tinubu) are such a terrible president,” added Ms Uguamaye.