The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has expressed support for Ushie Uguamaye, also known as Raye, a Lagos-based National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who claimed she received threats after criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on Sunday, March 16, on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, TUC President Festus Osifo urged the government to be more tolerant of critics, stating that Raye’s remarks were born out of frustration.
“They (government) have to develop this resilience to understand that people are frustrated, people are hungry, people are tired. So, if they decide to vent, I strongly believe that the government should not personalise it and come after such individuals,” Osifo said.
He stressed that Raye, as a young corps member, posed no real threat to the government.
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“Imagine a young lady carrying out her NYSC function, what does she really have to do to bring down government? So, it is about personal frustration that she has aired,” he added.
While acknowledging the right to criticise, Osifo urged Nigerians to do so with decorum. However, he maintained that the government must exercise patience.
“I think that the government has to persevere much more, they have to be more tolerant, and they have to have this deep level of patience with Nigerians because people are passing through a lot as it stands today,” he said.