Dear Buhari, Nigerian Youths Are Not Lazy

 

Written by a Nigerian in diaspora, Oreoluwa Ore

 

There have been more reactions to the claim by President Muhammadu Buhari that several Nigerian youths are lazy and uneducated as made on international soil. 

Mr President, how dare u call Nigeria youth Lazy? How can u be this facile in thinking? Do you even know that this same LAZY youth are making things happening around the globe? While I was a student of Federal University of Ibadan, this same LAZY dude was into marketing and even as an up coming, whose brand was not well known at that time with peanut pay, I still enjoyed doing it with so much pride and joy.

 

This same dude engaged in community development and rural education, I bet you don’t even have an idea how difficult it is to engage rural communities and achieve productive result yet I did and it was with great passion. As a student, I attended all kinds of seminars and IT training just to acquire more knowledge outside the four walls of the class room, all expenses paid with my little pocket money savings.

 

Mr President, do u know how difficult it is to finish from a DILAPIDATED University education system with a 1st class, 2.1 or 2.2.? Well I will not blame you because the authenticity of your SSCE certificate is still a controversial topic till date. The saying is true “you can’t appreciate what you don’t have”

Despite power outage, despite unemployment, indiscriminate killings and corruption we still thrive within. I worked as a training officer in a reputable company and then travelled out of the country to gain experience and exposure and I assure you it’s been a success story all the way. 

 

Have you asked yourself why Nigerians make it everywhere in the World except Nigeria? Oh! My bad, I have forgotten you can't think beyond the locus of your shadow. 

 

We have a Country where over 400 youths would wake as early as 4.30 am, knot their ties, wear their iron pressed skirt suits and trek kilometres to apply/sit a test for just 5 vacant positions in a Company where they would be underpaid at the end of the day. Yet to you, they are lazy.

Have you been to Oshodi and see young people struggling to catch buses to their places of work as early as 4.30am? You can stroll down to Computer Village too. Ariaria (Aba Market) should also be part of your schedule. You would have a good sight of works done by very industrious intelligent young Nigerian persons.

 

Many young women in the Country, after their legitimate work for the day, do 'extra work' at night (what you know as the service of the 'other room') so as to cater for the needs of their immediate families.

 

Ask Jobberman, Jijing and other job assistance 'consultants'/ agents how many young Nigerian urban professionals visit their websites per hour. Ogbeni wos wobi. While your son, Yusuf was busy enjoying and riding till he crashed a 56 million naira Power bike with his friend; since he never worked for it, other young persons were at creeks of Ijebu, Ibadan, Osun, Ekiti, Owerri, Benin, Kano, Kaduna etc fighting in defence of democracy- that its dividends be shared among all.

 

Abroad, we the Nigeria youths are breaking boundaries in the health, IT, engineering, HR, Banking, entertainment, political sectors and more. Ask google cooperation, Youtube, Facebook, GSK international, Nestle, Microsoft, NHS UK, Dangote group and so on. Additional knowlege comes in handy. 

 

I know a lot of graduates with ideas, who if given just 500,000 Naira would create business empires. Yet to you, they are lazy and sit-at-homes.

If you say we are lazy and we want everything for free including sending you away to Daura in 2019, we accept the challenge. We would chase you out. Its a promise. We won't sit at home anymore for freebies. Now we know freedom is not free. 

 

I want to seize this opportunity and call on all Lazy Nigeria youths home and abroad who after graduating from a prestigious universities picked up a vocational training and those who got a car on instalment to begin @ubernigeria and public transport services including okada, to my Lazy Nigeria youth who are doing legal hustle, let the whole world know that WE ARE NOT LAZY.

 

Let us all get our PVCs, let’s prove this president of circumstance wrong and let’s vote him out. Let’s tell him that the youths are really working hard and not LAZY. 

 

Thank you so much Mr president, The sleeping giant is now fully awake.

Written by a Nigerian in diaspora, Oreoluwa Ore

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)