Presidential Aide, Tope Ajayi Under Fire For Demanding ‘Capital Punishment’ For Female Corps Member Who Criticised Tinubu’s Administration
Ajayi, taking to Facebook on Monday, reacted strongly to the criticism, arguing that the corps member had violated the NYSC code of conduct and should face the ultimate punishment.
Amedia aide to President Bola Tinubu, Temitope Ajayi, has called for “capital punishment” for a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Ushie ‘Raye’ Uguamaye, over a viral TikTok video in which she criticised the president’s administration.
Uguamaye, who is currently serving in Lagos, voiced her frustration over Nigeria’s rising inflation, questioning the government’s efforts to address economic hardships.
In her video, she lamented the continuous increase in food prices and described President Tinubu as a “terrible” leader.
Ajayi, taking to Facebook on Monday, reacted strongly to the criticism, arguing that the corps member had violated the NYSC code of conduct and should face the ultimate punishment.
“If she is not a corper, she can say whatever she fancies like people do per second. Citizens can abuse the living day out of their President or any public official. It is normal,” Ajayi stated in the now deleted Facebook post.
He added, “But a corper violated her oath and code of conduct here. That is capital punishment under NYSC.”
The presidential aide further demanded the strictest punishment for Ms. Uguamaye, saying, “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.”
Amid the growing public backlash, Ajayi then made another post, trying in vain to justify his position.
He said, “The mob get their oxygen from misrepresentations and delibrate mischief. I made comments under a post where I advertently wrote that what the lady corper did should attract capital punishment under NYSC which means her indiscretion should attract highest punishment under the NYSC scheme.
“The highest punishment under NYSC is expulsion. There was a follow-up comment under same thread where I provided the context in my usage of capital punishment under NYSC as a metaphor. The follow-up comment that explained the previous comment was ignored.
“It is common sense that there is no death penalty anywhere as punishment under NYSC law.”
However, human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has condemned Ajayi’s remarks, defending Uguamaye’s right to free speech.
“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),” Effiong stated.
He further argued that Ms. Uguamaye’s comments were within her constitutional rights.
“I have watched all the videos of this lady that are being debated. There is nothing slightly partisan in her comments.
“She 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,” he added.
Effiong pointed to Section 39 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees the right to freedom of expression, stressing that Uguamaye had committed no crime by speaking out against the government’s policies.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from various quarters, including Amnesty International and opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
They have criticised the growing trend of silencing critics of the Tinubu administration through intimidation and threats.
In the viral video, Uguamaye expressed deep frustration over the cost of living crisis in Nigeria, stating, “I am coming from a supermarket where I went to get foodstuff, and everything has gone up again.
“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. But you are such a terrible president,” she added.
The controversy surrounding Uguamaye’s remarks has reignited debates over free speech in Nigeria, with activists urging the government to respect democratic principles rather than resorting to intimidation.
Despite calls for punishment from the president’s aide, legal experts insist that the corps member has not violated any laws and should not face any form of persecution for her opinions.
