A presidential aide, Tope Fasua, has stirred controversy after accusing a corps member, Ushie ‘Raye’ Uguamaye, of engaging in prostitution in Lagos, following her viral criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.
Ms Uguamaye, currently serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), recently lambasted President Tinubu in a TikTok video, describing him as “such a terrible president” due to the rising cost of living under his administration. “I don’t know if there is any other president that is as terrible as you,” she said, citing skyrocketing food prices.
Reacting via a cryptic Facebook post on Tuesday, Mr Fasua wrote, “Somebody who came to get her share from the N661 billion sub-sector that Lagos is famous for,” in an apparent reference to commercial sex work. He further added in Yoruba, “Which smell she dey perceive? Una know una sef eyin onise okunkun,” loosely translating to “You know yourselves, you workers of darkness.”
His comment follows a 2024 report estimating that men in Lagos spent approximately N661 billion on transactional sex.
Fasua’s comments come on the heels of a separate remark by another presidential aide, Temitope Ajayi, who said Ms Uguamaye’s public criticism amounted to a violation of NYSC’s code of conduct. “That is capital punishment under NYSC,” Ajayi wrote on social media, suggesting that the corps member could face expulsion or more severe consequences. He added, “If she is not a corper, she can say whatever she fancies… but a corper violated her oath.”
The backlash against Ms Uguamaye has sparked a heated debate online, with many Nigerians questioning the appropriateness of the aides’ responses, particularly the personal and demeaning nature of the accusations. Neither the NYSC nor the presidency has released an official statement on the matter.
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