NYSC Official Blocked My Biometric Clearance Despite Providing Valid Documents — Corps Member, Rita Uguamaye, Alleges Sabotage
For thousands of young Nigerians, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is more than a rite of passage — it is a legal requirement, a test of resilience, and a bridge to professional life. But for one corps member, Rita Uguamaye, the journey that began with high hopes in 2024 has ended in controversy, uncertainty, and an extended service year she insists was unjustly imposed.
On Sunday, August 10, 2025, Uguamaye, speaking under the handle “Raye” during an X Space hosted by activist Omoyele Sowore, accused her Local Government Inspector (LGI) of deliberately preventing her from completing her mandatory April 2025 biometric clearance — an act she describes as “sheer sabotage.”
Her allegations have since sparked heated debate, drawing in the NYSC leadership, political heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar, human rights groups, and social media commentators. What began as a procedural dispute has evolved into a public conversation about fairness, accountability, and the limits of criticism within Nigeria’s public service schemes.
According to Uguamaye, the chain of events began in April 2025 at the Local Government Area NYSC office where she was posted for her monthly clearance.
“I was at the LGI centre in April to carry out my biometric exercise,” she said, recounting the moment she approached the LGI, identified only as Veronica, with the same set of documents she had submitted in previous months — including a clearance letter from her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).
“She refused to allow me do that despite the fact that I submitted the documents I usually submitted in previous months for the clearance,” Rita said. “Despite the fact that I told the officer that what I submitted is what is usually needed, she did not listen. Instead, she told me to get out of her office.”
This denial, she insists, was not due to any procedural lapse on her part. Rather, she sees it as a personal decision by the LGI, which set in motion a chain of events that would derail her clearance process and ultimately cost her two additional months of service.
The NYSC Management responded swiftly after the story began circulating online, particularly amid suggestions that Rita’s withheld Certificate of National Service (CNS) was linked to her public criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s government.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the NYSC dismissed the claims as “entirely unfounded and false.”
“Rita is among the 131 Corps Members whose Certificates of National Service were withheld for valid disciplinary reasons,” the statement read. “Specifically, Rita’s service year has been extended by two months for failing to attend the April 2025 biometrics clearance, a decision that aligns with the NYSC Bye-Laws.”
The agency stressed that such extensions were “standard procedure” and “not unique to her case,” urging the public to avoid politicising a routine enforcement action.
Rita’s account of her disciplinary hearing paints a picture of a process she believes was neither fair nor thorough.
“When the jury called me, they did not even listen to me, they did not want to hear what I had to say,” she said during the X Space discussion. “I expected that they would at least review the facts, check attendance records, or ask my PPA to confirm my presence. But none of that happened.”
Instead, she says, the NYSC panel upheld the LGI’s version of events without investigation, cementing the extension of her service year and withholding her discharge certificate.
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The dispute has attracted strong reactions from prominent political and human rights voices.
Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former vice president and 2023 presidential candidate, took to X to condemn the NYSC’s action:
“What manner of impunity is this? Everything should not be subjected to politics. I hope that Ushie Rita Uguamaye’s NYSC discharge certificate is not being withheld because she had the courage to complain about the economic hardship under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.”
Atiku argued that Rita’s clean service record should have made her eligible for her certificate “one year after passing out,” urging authorities to “take urgent steps” to resolve the matter.
Amnesty International also weighed in, criticising what it described as an abuse of administrative power and calling for a review of the NYSC’s internal disciplinary processes to safeguard corps members from arbitrary sanctions.
Omoyele Sowore, the activist and former presidential candidate who hosted Rita on his platform, was even more pointed:
“We will not abandon her. Her fight is our fight.”
He accused the NYSC and associated officials of using administrative technicalities to punish outspoken corps members. Sowore further credited Rita’s courage with pressuring the NYSC to raise corps members’ monthly allowance to ₦77,000.
Rita’s case has echoes of other recent NYSC controversies.
In June 2025, another corps member, also known as Raye, claimed her service year was extended after she criticised President Tinubu on social media. The NYSC insisted at the time that the decision was based solely on missed biometric clearance.
However, the timing and the fact that both cases involved outspoken members have led critics to question whether the NYSC sometimes uses “disciplinary reasons” as a cover for politically motivated punishment.
7. Understanding NYSC’s Biometric Clearance Rules
To assess the dispute, it is important to understand the clearance process.
Under NYSC rules, all serving corps members must complete a monthly clearance, which typically involves:
- Physical appearance at the LGI office
- Verification of documents, including PPA clearance letter
- Biometric fingerprint scan to confirm presence
Failure to complete the process without approved leave can lead to sanctions, including extension of service.
The biometric system was introduced to curb absenteeism and “ghost” corps members. However, its success relies on fair and consistent application — and on LGIs exercising discretion responsibly.
Local Government Inspectors are often the decisive link between corps members and the NYSC headquarters. They are responsible for verifying attendance, inspecting PPAs, and forwarding clearance records.
Critics say this concentration of power creates opportunities for abuse, especially when personal differences arise.
In Rita’s case, she alleges that the LGI exercised that power arbitrarily, denying her the biometric session even though she met all requirements.
Without LGI clearance, the biometric system cannot be updated — effectively locking a corps member out of the process.
For corps members, an extension of service is more than an inconvenience. It delays entry into the job market, disrupts personal plans, and can carry social stigma.
Rita’s two-month extension means she must remain at her posting until October 2025, with her CNS withheld until then.
“It’s not just about the certificate,” she said. “It’s about my reputation. People will think I did something wrong when I didn’t.”
On social media, Nigerians are split.
Some insist that NYSC rules must be enforced uniformly, arguing that missing biometric clearance — for any reason — should trigger the prescribed penalty.
Others see Rita’s experience as proof that the system lacks safeguards against abuse, especially in a scheme that often sends young graduates far from home and places them under the authority of mid-level officials with wide discretion.
The NYSC, for its part, faces a delicate balance: maintaining discipline and deterring absenteeism without creating the perception of political bias or administrative arbitrariness.
Its insistence that Rita’s extension was purely procedural shows its awareness of the reputational risks when cases become politicised.
However, as public trust is eroded, the NYSC may find that its credibility depends on not only enforcing rules but also demonstrating fairness.
Rita’s immediate focus is appealing the decision. Legal options are limited, as NYSC’s internal decisions are rarely overturned without clear evidence of wrongdoing. Still, with political figures and rights groups now involved, the pressure on NYSC to review the case is mounting.
Meanwhile, Rita continues her extended service, determined to clear her name.
“This is not just about me,” she said. “It’s about every corps member who might one day face the same injustice.”
The case has sparked a conversation about how public service schemes handle dissent, accountability, and due process. In a country where young graduates are often among the most politically vocal citizens, the line between discipline and suppression can appear blurred.
If nothing else, Rita’s story has exposed the fragility of the systems designed to support and regulate the NYSC experience — and the human cost when those systems fail.
What began as a routine monthly clearance has become a test case for NYSC transparency. Rita Uguamaye’s allegations have pulled back the curtain on the power LGIs wield, the vulnerability of corps members, and the tension between enforcing rules and respecting rights.
Whether her certificate is eventually released without further delay may not just determine her own next steps, but could also shape reforms aimed at making Nigeria’s youth service fairer and more accountable.