The National Youth Service Corps on Sunday explained its reason for withholding the national service certificate of a Lagos-based serving corps member, Ushie ‘Raye’ Uguamaye.

The agency, in a post on X, stated that Ms Uguamaye’s certificate was being withheld because her service year had been extended by two months.

The NYSC management stated that Ms Uguamaye failed to attend a scheduled biometrics clearance in April, noting that its decision aligns with the body’s bye-laws.

The agency revealed that a total of 131 corps members currently have their discharge certificates withheld for valid disciplinary reasons.

NYSC said, “Contrary to false claims that she was denied a Certificate of National Service (CNS) due to critical remarks about the government, this assertion is entirely unfounded and false in its entirety.”

It added, “Rita is among the 131 Corps Members whose Certificates of National Service (CNS) were withheld for valid disciplinary reasons. 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 urged the public to view its decision as a standard procedure over non-compliance for its traditional biometrics clearance exercise.

Earlier in March, Ms Uguamaye trended on social media when she lamented the hike in prices of commodities and fallout in living conditions as a Nigerian.

In a particular TikTok video, she expressed concern over the rising cost of basic food items, such as eggs, which, according to her, had increased from N800 to N6,500.

Following the viral video and her criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s government over inflation and economic hardship, Ms Uguamaye alleged that she received threats from some NYSC officials, who urged her to delete the content.