Lazy and uneducated youth: Buhari was right but goofed all the same

BY DAMILOLA BANJO

I have never read so much CVs in my entire life as I had in the last couple of days, from young Nigerians miffed by their portrayal on an international stage by their elected president. President Muhammadu Buhari, while in a panel at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster, United Kingdom, last Wednesday, gave a harsh but- what some has also said was- true assessment of many Nigerians- both old and young.

He said Nigerian youth are lazy, uneducated brats waiting for free education, housing, and healthcare.

The president was quoted to have said; “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.”

For the sake of balance, I should quickly add that following the storm generated by the comment, the presidency had clarified that the president did not say ‘all’ Nigerian youths but ‘a lot’ are lazy and uneducated.

Indeed, the video of the event- which has now gone viral- recorded the president saying “a lot” of Nigerian youth.

Regardless of the choice of word, the president’s assertion was not different from what we have heard international and even local agencies postulate about Nigerian youths, many times in the past.

There are data to prove that majority of Nigeria’s youthful population can neither read nor write.

The internet is awash with many youths who claim to be graduates, but cannot string simple words together to make a correct sentence. We- young Nigerians- have at one point or the other joked about this important issue even though it deserves utmost seriousness from us all. Just last month, the World Bank in a report tagged: ‘Learning to Realize Education’s Promise’ revealed that 80% of Nigerian adults who have had primary education cannot read or write.

The report said: “Among young adults in Nigeria, only about 20 percent of those who complete primary education can read”.

Going by that empirical assertion, indeed, ‘a lot’ of Nigerian youth are uneducated which was exactly the point President Buhari made. Also, the alarming rate of crime and criminal activities prevalent among young Nigerians also goes to show how lazy ‘a lot’ of the younger citizens of this country are toward engaging in legitimate businesses that requires time, dedication but without ‘big profit’ in the short term.

Therefore, statistically proven, the president cannot be said to be wrong in his claims about the Nigerian youth.

But, this is as far as this writer agrees with Mr. President. The truth is, President Buhari failed woefully as the chief image maker of the country in affirming those negative indices about his own young citizens.

He sat in the room full of foreign investors and use the gathering to legitimize negative assessment about Nigeria and Nigerians? He could have chosen to elevate the contribution of the ‘few’ Nigerians who are breaking boundaries and contributing meaningfully to the growth of Nigeria despite the harsh economic environment.

Millions of Nigerians are defying all odds to ‘build empires’ with little -or no- assistance from the government whose officials continue to loot the national treasury for personal advancement.

Despite the moribund education system in Nigeria, a number of youth are making the best of the little they have in attaining the same educational status with their counterparts in countries with better educational systems. A plethora of stories abound about how younger Nigerians have positively made use of the internet to make up for the deficiencies in our schools. Rather than sell the die-hard spirit of these young people, the executive public relations officer of Nigeria decided to harp on the negative. It is indeed a misfire!

If the number one citizen of Nigeria can easily write off the majority of his people, what option do foreign investors have than to go elsewhere with their money? Elevating the stories of ‘bad heads’ above the nation’s many success stories would not solve her problems. If anything, it would sink her deeper into the hole of hopelessness.

Most foreign countries are aware of our challenges as a nation. Did David Cameron not describe us as “fantastically corrupt”? What they, however, do not know is how industrious we are as a people and that should be the message Mr. President is passing to them not striping us all of worth globally.

Again, President Buhari failed in his duty as the elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Banjo writes from Lagos and can be reached on Twitter; @RealBanjo or email; [email protected]