A canteen operator at the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana’s Woolford Avenue complex has been ordered to vacate her space just days after posting a TikTok video referencing the rising cost of living under President Irfaan Ali.
Farha Najab, who has operated the canteen for five years, told Kaieteur News she suspects the abrupt eviction notice is retaliation, noting that no explanation was offered by CIOG. The letter, signed by the President of CIOG, stated only that her contract had expired and instructed her to vacate and hand over the organization’s property on or before April 30, 2026.
Najab said that after she posted the video on Monday, her husband received a call the following day from an official of the Muslim Youth Organisation, which is located next door to CIOG. The official described the video as disrespectful and insinuated it should be removed. Her husband responded that the video was intended as humor and was not a personal attack on anyone.
On Wednesday morning, Najab was summoned to CIOG’s Accounts Department. She assumed the meeting was to finalise her contract renewal, which had been pending since December 2025. Instead, she was handed the eviction letter. When she emailed the CIOG President seeking an explanation, he responded only that the organization was not looking to renew contracts at this time.
Najab, a mother of five, said the canteen is her family’s primary source of income and that she had recently restocked it at considerable expense ahead of the new school term. She appealed for more time and an explanation, but received neither. She has since deleted the TikTok video.
Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed visited the canteen and called the situation an injustice. His party, We Invest in Nationhood, issued a statement expressing concern over what it described as a pattern of targeting citizens for political dissent, and called on all institutions to allow Guyanese to speak freely without fear of retaliation.
CIOG has not issued a public response.
SOURCE: Kaieteur News, “CIOG evicts canteen operator after her TikTok video criticising cost-of-living,” April 17, 2026
