President Buhari has not said anything new about ‘lazy youths’ comment - Professor Akintola

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has, through Akintola, declared that President Muhammadu Buhari has not said anything new about the highly criticized statement concerning some youths of the country and their alleged laziness.

- The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) says President Muhammadu Buhari has not said anything new concerning the 'lazy youths' comment

- MURIC notes that Buhari never mentioned the word 'lazy' in his comment

- Akintola relives other Nigerian leaders who have called Nigerian youths lazy

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari has not said anything new about the highly criticized statement concerning some youths of the country and their alleged laziness.

In a statement personally signed by Professor Ishaq Akintola, the director of MURIC, the organisation also accused the media of deliberately twisting Buhari’s statement, arguing that the president did not use the word ‘lazy’ in his speech.

“The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) contends that the president’s description of the Nigerian situation regarding its youths was apt, precise and succinct.

“Nigerians need to contextualize the president’s comment. We have seen many youths functioning as political thugs as the 2019 general elections approach. They have started vandalizing properties and disrupting political gatherings. Can anybody tell us that those political thugs are old men?

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“What of the herdsmen who are terrorizing innocent farmers around the country? Are they not young people? Are they not lazy? Are the kidnappers who make life unbearable for innocent people not lazy? But are they not youths?

“Has anyone seen elderly people among Boko Haram insurgents and Niger Delta militants? What of the ‘area boys’ syndrome and the al-majiri phenomenon? Are the Yahoo Yahoo boys not of the same age bracket? Are they not all lazy?

“What of the ‘agberos’ or touts who have now spilled out of motor parks unto the streets and bus stops? What responsible work are they doing? Are they not youths?

“What do they contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? All they do is to stand at the bus stops to extort money from drivers of commercial vehicles. Are they not lazy? When will Nigerians admit this reality? Who pulled the wool over our faces?” Akintola queried.

The MURIC boss further said the problem with Nigerians is that they always run away from reality adding that not known for verbosity, President Buhari hit the nail on the head.

“Many of our youths are lazy but we don’t want to admit it. Instead of commending this truthful leader, we started calling him names.

“Collective amnesia appears to have gripped Nigerians. We have forgotten that Buhari is not the only leader who described Nigerians and the youth in particular in this manner. Governor Dickson in a media chat on 17th May, 2016 was alleged to have said: ‘Bayelsans are so lazy, they want everything free, they don't want to work’.

“The 25th September 2017 edition of a northern-based newspaper also reportedly quoted Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as saying: ‘northerners are lazy’ while General Babangida (rtd) allegedly opined during a BBC Hausa service interview of 16th April, 2010: the Nigerian youth is useless, cannot lead’. Senator Shehu Sani added flavour to this in December 2017, when he reportedly said: northerners are lazy and unproductive.

“During the launching of a book written by Chief Gani Fawehinmi in 1974, Chief Obafemi Awolowo complained that: ‘The trouble with many of our youths is that they sleep too much; play too much; and indulge too much in idle chatter and gossip’.

“If indeed the above were the views of a governor from the south-south, a leader from the south-west, a former military president, an ex-vice president and a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, all of whom are from the north, it stands to reason that Buhari has not said anything new. Neither is this pragmatic assessment of citizens by their leaders limited to Nigeria. During a town hall event overseas, ex-President Barrack Obama referred to Americans as lazy.

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“Islam abhors idleness and laziness. It appreciates the dignity of labour. The glorious Qur’an implores every man to work hard, ‘tell them to work. (If they do) Allah, His Messenger and the believers (citizens) will appreciate their work’ (Qur’an 9:105)," the statement said.

MURIC said it was inviting Nigerian politicians to brace up for a new political culture of probity, accountability and pragmatism.

It also called on youths in the country to abandon the counter-productive race for emergency wealth, to shun betting and to concentrate on education, training and hardwork while charging parents to inculcate core values of honesty, dignity and diligence in their offsprings.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that Professor Ishaq Akintola described the N100 note introduced by the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on December 19, 2014, as the worst currency in Nigeria.

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Source: Naija.ng