President
Buhari couldn't have derided all Nigerian Youth
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t the Commonwealth Business
Forum in London on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari gave a
keynote address on Making Business Easier Between Commonwealth Countries. The
presentation was followed by a discussion, and question and answer session.
Responding to a question,
President Buhari had cause to talk about some Nigerian youths, and he said:
" We have a very young population; our population is estimated
conservatively to be 180 million. More than 60 per cent of the population is
below the age of 30. A lot of them have not been to school and they are
claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore they should
sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.”
Typical of their stock in
trade, manipulators and twisters of statements of Mr President, who lie in wait
to make mischief, interpreted the comment to mean that President Buhari had
taken all Nigerian youths to the cleaners. But elementary English recognizes a
wide gulf between "a lot of" and the word "all." How can
"a lot of them," suddenly transmogrify to mean “all of them?”
Mischievous and unconscionable!
There is no way President
Buhari, father of the Nigerian nation in every sense of the word, who equally
has biological children of his own in the youths age bracket, pass a vote of no
confidence on all youths. It can only exist in the imagination of those who
play what the President has described as "irresponsible politics"
with everything.
President Buhari has always
applauded and celebrated Nigerian youths who excel in different areas of
endeavour, from sports, to academia, and other realms. And he will continue to
do so, because he values the youths, and knows that they are the fulcrum on
which the future of the country rests.
Indeed, every country has
its share of idle population, and it is the bounden duty of government at all
levels, to create an enabling environment for them to actualize their potentials.
That is what President Buhari is committed to doing.
The focal areas of the
administration; securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting
corruption, are actually intended to give youths a future and a hope. This much
was emphasized in an April 5, 2018 comment by President Buhari, while receiving
Letter of Credence from the Head of Delegation of the European Union to
Nigeria, when he said: " Our insistence on probity is to encourage people
to be accountable, and accept honesty as a lifestyle so as to secure the future
of our youths.’’ The President also said more than 60 percent of Nigerians fall
into the age category of youths and deserve to inherit a stable and prosperous
country that they can be proud of, adding that the government will work
assiduously to prevent waste and the depletion of resources by corrupt
Nigerians.
It is futile for mischief
makers to lie in wait, and take a minor part of the words of the President, and
turn it into negative commentary, peradventure they could diminish the profile of the President.
Nigerians across all walks of life know who is serving them faithfully and
truly, and they will always reciprocate such fidelity as occasions demand.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the
President
(Media and Publicity)
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