National Issues
Where are the lazy youths? President Muhammdu Buhari should name them || By Musliudeen Adebayo
IT is no doubt a rude shock that millions of Nigerian youth who have been adjudged as one of the most hardworking, resilient and industrious in the world were disgraced by their country’s number one citizen, President Muhammadu Buhari while attending a meeting in London last Wednesday.
Buhari, while attending Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster, instead of telling the world and those present that Nigerian youth have a lot of yet-to-be identified and untapped potentials, but some of them are handicapped because the environment is not conducive for them to realise their God giving talents, however shocked the world that most youths in his country prefer to do nothing because they feel Nigeria is an oil-rich nation.
Buhari was quoted as saying, “about the economy, we have a very young population, our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. This is a very conservative one.
“More than 60 percent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven’t been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria is an oil producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare, education for free.”
I stand to disagree with Mr. President’s outburst because Nigerian youth are not in any way claiming that we have oil and they should not work. I ask Mr. President to name any company that pays its workers regularly and concerned about their welfare that has so far, sincerely sack any youth in this country or abroad because he or she is lazy. He should also name the individual for sake of clarity.
Though, the Presidency and some top government functionaries, adults, academia, activists and even some youths, maybe due to ethnic, religious, political party affiliation, ignorance or pecuniary reasons are still defending the defenseless Presidential outburst, I don’t mind them and I will not blame them, they are one way or the other benefiting from the largesse and reaping from our commonwealth at the detriment of all of us. That is why they are always in the habit of defending their heroes even when such person is wrong. I decided not to blame them because, it is generally believe that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
Why will the President, instead of projecting image of the youths and the country at large make such statement that has generated a lot of criticisms?. I think the image makers in the Presidency still need a lot of lessons to learn from this and I am sure they must have leant some on what to and not to say abroad even at home by whoever is giving the opportunity to talk in any gathering.
I must also add that I happened to be one of the supporters and campaigners for this administration, either secretly or openly before it came to power in 2015 through one on one discussions, analysis and publications, I purposely did that due to the fact that, I was told that Buhari/Idiagbon led military adminstration between December 31st 1983 and August 1985 meant well for Nigeria and her people, but reverse is the case since 2015 when he was elected to lead us. It is a surprise that is is not what we expected that is happening.
This administration promised a lot of things including reduction in the pump price of petrol, increased megawatts of electricity and constant electricity supply, good roads and other infrastructure, jobs creation, feeding of school children, putting a stop to security challenges and fight against corruption among others. The only ones I can vividly see is the NPower jobs and the trial of perceived corrupt persons in the media.
It is saddening that despite the claims that Boko Haram insurgents have been defeated, many Nigerians are being killed on daily basis in the North East. Many people are being killed in Kaduna, Benue, Zamfara, Kogi and Nassarawa among others as if those states are not part of Nigeria.
It is now time to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Nigerians should realise that it is until we clearly eschew sentiments that we can move forward. We should endeavor to call a space a space. We should not allow our relationship with whoever in charge to cover our faces on issues that affect our collective goals as people.
I will urge President Buhari to wake up early in the morning and visit streets of Ibadan, Lagos, Kano, Jos, Kaduna, Aba and Onitsha whether he will not see thousands of teenagers and youths hustling, selling sachet water, soft drinks, engaging in menial jobs among others in order to feed themselves and even their family members.
Mr. President need to visit our ivory towers and see thousands of students, male and female engaging in all kinds of businesses in order to survive because they are the ones responsible for payment of their school fees. Speaking from a personal experience, I have seen many graduates who engaged themselves as bus conductors, drivers and labourers in order to sponsor their education. I have seen thousands of graduates who sponsored themselves, they missed lectures but still make excellent results because they were determined. Are these people among the lazy ones?
Thousands of Nigerian youth have been adjudged as the best in their various fields of endeavours even those outside the shores of Nigeria are excelling more than their counterparts from other countries.
It is now pertinent to ask Mr. President, “Where are the lazy youths” he was referring to. I am a youth and a voice to my own generation. We are not lazy but are hardworking people.
If Mr. President could not come out and name the lazy youths, I am now asking him to within three days after this publication to without wasting more time, apologise to Nigerian youth and Nigerians in general for making such derogative statement about Nigerian youth.
Nigerian youth are not lazy. We are not lazy, because we are doing our best to make it. I am not lazy, but doing my best to succeed.
Mr. President should be told point blank that, it is he and past leaders of Nigeria who deliberately during their youthful age ruined the country that are making those he accused as lazy to be lazy.
This is because some of them, I will not mention names, had the opportunity to rule Nigeria at the ages of 20s, 30s and 40s, they destroyed the ladder due to unfavorable policies they introduced while in government. The ladder they destroyed is what we are trying to resuscitate. When we finally bring it back, I am sure they will be sent back to their respective homes in 2019 with our PVCs.
We have the opportunity to produce a military Head of State at the age of 29 in Nigeria. We have the opportunity to produce Federal ministers in the first republic at the age of 20s, in the defunct Western region, we have the opportunity to produce commissioners who were in their 20s and they performed excellently. So, kindly name the lazy youths sir.
Mr. President should understand that majority of those who he accused as lazy are making it despite unfavorable policies he and other past leaders introduced since independence.
Mr. President should also understand that youths between 18 and 40 years contribute more than 40 percent of the voters population in the present day Nigeria, he should understand that many youths decided to support him due to his campaign promises which are no more realistic after almost three years in government.
Majority of them including myself used their resources to campaign secretly or openly for you, but due to these attacks and unguided statements on our collective intelligence we have decided to do otherwise henceforth.
That is when you will know the worth of the youths accused as lazy. If you accuse us as lazy, that means you need to leave the stage for a government that will engage us meaningfully.
Mr. President should also understand that if some youths are lazy, it is the government policies coupled with their social environment that is making them to be lazy.
As Karl Marx (1818-1883) postulates that “It is not the consciousness of man that determines his being, rather, it is his social environment”.
Mr. President should know that Nigerian youth are not lazy, if they are lazy as claimed by Mr. Buhari, his government policies are responsible for their laziness going by Marx’s explanation quoted above.
It is on this note that I am now asking Mr. President to name the lazy youths he was referring to within three days after this publication.
The President should apologise to Nigerians youths for making such remark if he fails to name the lazy youths.
I am a voice to my generation, a Nigerian youth, a professional Social Worker, a trained and practising Journalist, but I am not lazy.
Amid rising killings and a wave of mass abductions by gunmen and suspected terrorists across the country, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday declared a nationwide security emergency.
The President, in a statement personally signed and released in Abuja, also ordered an immediate expansion of the manpower of the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force as the Federal Government rushes to halt the worsening insecurity.
“Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces,” Tinubu said.
“By this declaration, the police and the army are authorised to recruit more personnel. The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.”
Tinubu explained that he had already approved upgrades of police training facilities nationwide and authorised the use of selected National Youth Service Corps camps as police training depots.
He added that officers withdrawn from VIP guard duties would undergo “crash training” before being redeployed to areas battling heightened insecurity.
The President also directed the Department of State Services to immediately deploy all trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits hiding in forests across the country. The DSS was further authorised to recruit additional personnel.
“There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil. This is a national emergency. We are deploying more boots on the ground, especially in vulnerable communities. The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we must all get involved in securing our nation,” he said.
Tinubu commended security agencies for jointly securing the release of 24 abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers in Kwara State. He assured that efforts were ongoing to rescue students of Catholic schools in Niger State and other kidnapped Nigerians still in captivity.
“To the leadership and rank and file of our Armed Forces, I commend your courage and sacrifice. This is a challenging moment for our nation and for the military itself. I charge you to remain resolute, restore peace across all theatres of operation, and uphold the highest standards of discipline. There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence,” he added.
The President announced that the Federal Government would support state governments operating community-based security outfits.
Tinubu also urged the National Assembly to begin reviewing laws that would allow states seeking to establish their own police forces to do so.
He warned states against maintaining boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security and advised churches and mosques in vulnerable areas to engage security agencies when organising large gatherings.
On the lingering farmer–herder clashes, Tinubu restated that the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development would provide long-term solutions. He appealed to herders to embrace ranching, end open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons.
“I sympathise with the families who have lost their loved ones in recent attacks on soft targets in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe, and Kwara states. I also pay tribute to our brave soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba,” he said.
Warning criminal groups not to undermine the state, Tinubu emphasised that his administration possessed the resolve and capacity to secure the country.
“Fellow compatriots, I urge you not to give in to fear or despair. Stand firm to defend our freedom and values. Our administration will continue to guarantee peaceful co-existence and preserve our union.”
He called on citizens to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities, and cooperate with security agencies.
Tinubu’s declaration came amid nationwide outrage after the killing of at least five people in Kebbi and Kwara states, and the abduction of over 300 schoolchildren from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, and St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State.
The Presidency on Monday said the United States Government has expressed readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria through enhanced intelligence sharing, supply of defence equipment and other support to boost ongoing operations against terrorists and violent extremist groups.
It said the commitment followed a series of engagements held last week in Washington, DC, between a high-level Nigerian delegation and top US officials aimed at strengthening bilateral security ties and opening new areas of collaboration.
The delegation, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, met with senior officials from the US Congress, White House Faith Office, State Department, National Security Council and the Department of War.
Other members of the delegation included the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye; the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and two representatives from the Office of the NSA.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Nigerian team used the engagements to debunk allegations of genocide in the country, insisting that violent attacks cut across religious and ethnic divides.
Onanuga said the delegation also rejected what it described as the “wrongful framing” of Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that such portrayals risked further dividing citizens and misrepresenting realities on the ground.
“The discussions provided ample opportunity to correct misconceptions about Nigeria, forged a constructive, solution-driven partnership with the United States, reinforced mutual trust, and advanced a coordinated approach to protecting vulnerable communities, especially in the Middle Belt,” the statement read.
He added that the US expressed willingness to offer complementary support, including humanitarian assistance to affected populations in the Middle Belt and technical aid to strengthen early-warning mechanisms.
Onanuga said both countries agreed to immediately implement a non-binding cooperation framework and set up a Joint Working Group to coordinate agreed areas of collaboration. Nigeria, he added, reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing civilian protection measures.
“The Federal Government restates its awareness of heightened sensitivities regarding religious freedom and security, and urges citizens to remain assured that firm, urgent, and coordinated steps are being taken to secure the nation,” he stated.
The development comes weeks after former US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy American forces to Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if the government failed to halt what he described as the killing of Christians.
Trump, who also designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged persecution, had on his Truth Social platform accused the government of allowing the “mass slaughter” of Christians and warned that Washington could cut aid and take military action.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” he wrote, adding that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for possible operations.
But President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly dismissed claims of genocide against Christians, maintaining that Nigeria remains committed to religious freedom, tolerance and the protection of all citizens regardless of faith.
Suspected bandits have abducted four rice farmers in Bokungi community, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening while the victims were working on their farms during the peak of the harvest season. It came barely 24 hours after gunmen attacked a church in Eruku, Ekiti LGA of the state, killing two worshippers and abducting several others.
According to sources, the attackers stormed the farms suddenly and surrounded the farmers as they gathered their harvested rice.
“It has been confirmed that bandits struck again at Bokungi under the Lafiagi Emirate. Four people were abducted. Information is still emerging,” the sources said.
Residents said the gunmen operated for several minutes without resistance, forcing the farmers into a nearby bush before whisking them away to an unknown location.
Community members also lamented rising insecurity in Edu LGA, noting that several farming settlements had been abandoned as farmers now fear venturing out during the harvest period when they are most vulnerable.
The Kwara State Police Command and the state government had yet to comment on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
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