Buhari: Nigerian Youths Are Lazy

Buhari is an elder, and he knows what he is saying. I agree with him 100 percent that we Nigerian youths are lazy, even if that is what he said or meant.

People are castigating him because they cant think deep to reason and understand what he said. A lot of people are seeing it from only one view. That's why you see all over the internet now, people posting statements like 'I'm a Nigerian youth, I am a doctor, engineer and I am not lazy'. People are posting different pictures of youths toiling under the sun like welders, bus drivers, construction workers, teachers and many other professionals.

To me, such response is a bit myopic.

Buharis is an elder, and I believe he has deeper meaning to his purported statement. Even if he doesn't have deeper meanings to it, we should give it deeper reasoning.

To me, I am gonna tell you that we Nigerian youths are lazy for the following reasons:

1. Most of our military past leaders before 1999, who are now today's elders got into power at very young age. Most of them shook the nation and made impacts at their youthful age e.g. The following were heads of state at these ages:

Aguiyi Ironsi (42yrs), Murtala Mohammed (37yrs), OBJ (39yrs), Buhari (41yrs), IBB (44yrs), Abacha (50yrs)

Pat Utoma was anspecial adviser to Shagari at 24/25 years.

Bola Ige was a commissioner for Agric, old western region at 37 years

Ojukwu ignited Biafran war at 34 yrs. Mind you, Okukwu was born into wealth. But he was a visionary youth.

Kaduna Nzeogwu led the first military coup in Nigeria; he was only 29yrs.

Gideon Orkar led the almost-succesdful copu against IBB government in 1990 at age 38 yrs.

All these were youths who had their convictions and pursued their goals. They shook the nations during their time. They made things happen.

Do we have youths like these again at the moment? We may have them around; maybe they are hiding in their closets or have run out of the country.

2. The Arab uprising of 2011 that shocked and shook the Arab world and resulted in rulers being outsed in Tunisia, Egypty, Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain and other affected Arab countries was caused by the action of a single young Tunisian man, Bouazizi who set himself on fire when the fruits he was selling was seized. He was a graduate who turned to fruit hawking after he couldn't get employment.
Nigerian no wan die (lol!) but prefer sufferring and smiling or complaining

3. South African youths were active in the liberation of their country from apartheid. Mandela, Oliver Thambo, Thabo Mbeki, Winnie Mandela, Walter sisulu, Desmond Tutu, Steve Biko, Albert Luthuli were all youths when they started or joined the anti-apartheid struggle. Some of them died in the struggle. Steve Biko was a medical student; he was killex in the struggle at age 30.

But our current Nigerian youths are lazy. Not like the youths that confronted the IBB, Abacha military junta.

4. The student union movement (youths) of now has lost focus. They are now into cultism, being stooges to political theives robbing them of their future. Student unionisn is no longrr like in the days of tge past youths like the late Segun Okeowo (Ali must go protest)

5. Many Nigerian youths feel comfortable playing sport betting games all over the betting centres, and even remotely on their mobile phones. One sees them everyday. Expecting to have sudden breakthroughs by winning millions of naira. The employed and educated ones are not left out of it.

6. Millions of Nigerian youths are into yahoo yahoo, scams, money rituals all because they want to drive Venza, G-wagon and other exotic cars. Unemployed graduates want to use the latest andriod and iphones.
The vocational job apprentices are no longer patient to learn skills and gain tutelage under their masters. They all want fast money (e.g. betting, rituals, yahoo yahoo)

7. Millions of Nigerian youths will seat down to watch and follow TV programs, where they spend millions of money daily to vote for contestants e.g. in big brother naija/africa. How I wish we youths will come out to vote enmasse like we do for all these TV shows. Let's take our destinies into our hands for once.

8. Millions of Nigerian youths know the names of all foreign clubs, coaches, players, and how much those players are worth. But do not participate in the running of their own country. They dont participate in the politics of their own country. They are not just interested in what happens in their own country. They can watch and vote for bigbrothernaija but can't collect their PVC to vote on elections days.

9. Many Nigerian youths are ready to be used as political thugs (electon is coming) instead of fighting to take over the political scene from the elders. The thugs that stole the mace from the senate few days ago are not old men. They are youths used by an old man. Can you see?

10. At the moment, we do not have any state governor that is less than 40 years of age in Nigeria. The only one that got in at under age 40 is Yaya Bello of Kogi state, and we can all see how he is messing up

Let me stop here for now.

The laziness, which Buhari referred to is not mainly about physical laziness. Yes, naija youth are workaholics, and are physicslly active. But ours is more of mental laziness and lethargy.

Buhari was a youth when he became the military president, and I guess he is wondering what is wrong with us that we cant seize the space from them like they did during their own times.
Mind you, the old ones wont just vacate and handover power to us. It doesn't happen anywhere. We (youths) have to wake up from our laziness, and become active.

Buhari is indirectly telling us to rise up to the challenge but instead of picking up the clue we are castigating him.

Mr President has thrown us the challenge.
Let us prove to him and the other old gunners that we are not lazy. Not by engaging in unprofitable ventures and distractions.

Pick up the challenge and stop whinning!
We too can become governors, senators, honourables, ministers etc.