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Summary
NYSC member Raye voiced her frustration over Nigeria's escalating food prices, rising utility bills, and poor living conditions, openly criticizing President Tinubu and the Lagos State government.
A recent video posted on March 15, 2025, by a young woman named Raye has gone viral, sparking widespread discussions. In the video, Raye expressed her frustration over the continuous rise in food prices and openly criticized the president for his handling of the situation.
“You are such a terrible president,” she exclaimed.
Raye recounted her recent visit to the supermarket, where she noticed another increase in the prices of food items. She questioned what the president was doing about the rising costs and whether there would ever be a point when the price hikes would stop. “Guys, why are they telling me that a crate of eggs is 6,500 naira?” she cried out.
Overwhelmed, she lamented that she couldn’t remember the last time eggs were so expensive.
Raye also drew attention to a reported doubling of her power bill. She expressed her dismay at how most of the money she earns is spent on settling one bill after another.
Towards the end of the video, Raye called out the Lagos State Government, questioning what they were doing about the disgusting odour in parts of Lagos. She also voiced her dissatisfaction with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, highlighting that the transportation costs she incurs far exceed the stipend (allawee) provided by the government. “The money I spend on transportation is more than the allawee the government gives me,” she said, exhausted by the country’s economic challenges.
“Tinubu, what are you doing to help us?” she called out, addressing the president directly.
She went on to criticize Nigerian telecommunication company MTN for the increase in data prices. Raye lamented spending 20,000 naira weekly on data, stating it was barely enough. Tearfully, she noted how she has nothing to call her own due to these financial burdens.
Less than 24 hours after her TikTok video went viral, Raye posted another video claiming she had been contacted by the NYSC board, specifically by Ms. Christian Salmwang, who instructed her to stop criticizing the government. “Are you normal? Will you keep quiet and take down that rubbish you posted?”, Ms. Christian stated in the audio call.
Raye expressed concern over being threatened for speaking out, clarifying that she never insulted the president but merely stated, “He is terrible,” which she described as a statement not an insult.
She emphasized the importance of government bodies acknowledging their shortcomings instead of shutting down the citizens. Raye questioned why it was acceptable for the NYSC board to threaten her for voicing grievances over issues that directly affect her well-being.
She warned that if anything happened to her, Nigerians should know it was linked to the NYSC, as they have access to her phone number and address.
Once again, Raye criticized the government, stating, “The Nigerian government is not doing anything about the inflation we are facing.”
Instead of addressing her concerns, she expressed that the authorities sent NYSC officials to intimidate her.
Following the incident, Raye reported receiving numerous threatening messages from fellow corps members and officials due to her outspoken stance on food price inflation. She also shared a copy of the NYSC bye-laws to clarify that she had not violated any of their rules.
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