The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that Nigerian youths, by their demonstrated industry, cannot in any way be described as lazy.
The party stated this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan.
It said that it was uncertain how President Muhammadu Buhari could have made such comment against Nigerian youths as reported, when the nation looked up to him to properly present its potential to the global business community.
The PDP noted that if true, such remark amounted to de-marketing the nation and her citizens at an international event.
It stated that such act should be discouraged to avoid verbal assault against the country, particularly at international fora.
“How can President Buhari describe Nigerian youths as lazy, when they have proven, without doubt, to be one of the most industrious sets of individuals across the world?
“These are the same set of Nigerians who, upon being afforded the right opportunities in other countries of the world, are known to have excelled in various fields of endeavour.”
The party added that the most disheartening thing was that it was the same young persons who formed the highest demography of voters in 2015.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has however clarified what the president meant about the statement on Nigerian youths and according to him, the President did not generalize the entire Nigerian youth population, but some.
Adesina attributed the outrage that trailed the President’s comment to those he described as “manipulators and twisters” of Buhari’s statements.
He said:
“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 recognises 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.”
