During the Common Wealth Business Forum in Westminister on Wednesday 18th April 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari while addressing Business Leaders stated that “A Lot of Nigerian Youth are Lazy and Uneducated, that they would rather sit down doing nothing, banking on the notion that Nigeria is an oil-rich nation”.
On behalf of the Nigerian Youth, I hereby plea for the above statements to be disregarded as this is a false narrative and a dent to the creative, resilient, intelligent, smart and hardworking Nigerians, who on a daily basis,regardless of the fruitless and unproductive dividend of democracy of President Buhari’s administration,ensures to keep contributing their quota in reviving the Nigerian economy.
The Nigerian Youth has over the years proved to be resourceful across the nation and around the world, leading different industries against all odds, even without any form of National Trust funds as an oil-rich nation and we have consistently thrive in all we do; as opposed to our leaders led by President Muhammadu Buhari who has been consistent in their inconsistencies, wasting tax payers money and the nation’s treasury for their personal interests.
We plea for the Common Wealth to disregard all statements regarding the Nigerian youth by the President as he has vehemently neglected the Article 10, 11, 12, 13, 14and 15 of the Africa Youth Charter adopted by the Executive Council of the African Union in Banjul in 2006. The President and his cabinet are stalling the Presidential accent process of the ‘Not Too Young to Run Bill’ thereby depriving the fundamental rights of the people to demand and youth participation in the electoral process; driven by passion, good governance and legacy.
This plea is neither a judgment nor an indictment; it does not detract or negate the power of the president, rather, a response from the entire youth of the federal republic of Nigeria who felt slighted by the statement of the No. 1 citizen who was elected to rectify the impending menace of the Nigeria economy, yet spent almost a year in office without a Cabinet at the detriment of the economy, spent several months traveling around the world on intensive health care without considering how to grow and invest in the Nigerian health sector, a sector that is predominantly driven by young medical doctors creating alternative means to tackle challenges that could have been prevented; this and many more industries the Nigerian youth playsa huge role in sustaining with their talents and skills. The youths of the Federal Republic of Nigeria deserves better.
We want to reaffirm that most of the Nigerian Youth are well-educated, driven by the will power to succeed, technologically driven, have a strong entrepreneurial spirit; skilled in creating alternative means of diversifying the economy, shown potentials in growing the knowledge economy through new global best practice independently and they’ve proven to be a power house for any willing and potential investor for possible projected returns.
Nigeria is our country and we hope to do all we can in helping to build, defend and sustain her unity, socially and economically, being able to compete for globally relevance.
McKelvin Jude Oseh CNS, PMIIM
Founder, YiPAfrica
