Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that Nigerian youths want everything handed down to them free.
Buhari had said this on Wednesday at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster, London.
He said, “And then the economy. We have a very young population and our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. The 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30. A lot of them have not been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country and therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.”
But reacting in a series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday morning, Atiku said he would never refer to Nigerian youths in such manner.
He wrote, “I will never refer to Nigeria’s youth as people who sit and do nothing. They are hardworking. I should know, I have thousands of youths working for me all over the country who have been the backbone to our success.
“I’ve always said oil is not Nigeria’s greatest asset. Our greatest asset is our youth who created Nollywood out of nothing and an entertainment industry that is second to none in Africa.
“Our youth are charting new frontiers; creating a huge tech industry on their own! Their entrepreneurial spirit, work ethic, and creative abilities are things of pride and should be applauded, encouraged and nurtured.”