President Muhammadu Buhari at a Commonwealth summit last week called Nigerian youths lazy.
He said many Nigerian youths sit down and do nothing, yet expect to get everything free because “their country is an oil producing nation.”
TheCable had reported the story and shortly after, there was a massive backlash on social media — and the hashtag #LazyNigerianYouth started trending.
Following that speech, the hashtag “Lazy Nigerian Youth” trended on social media.
The hashtag recorded hundreds of thousands of tweets and millions of expressions in less than a week.
This incurred the wrath of the youths who took to social media to say they are not lazy but are actively involved in making a living for themselves.
Some celebrities also came out to refute the claim of the President. The President obviously did not anticipate the backlash.
The youth seized the opportunity to showcase to the world the ingenuity of their trade and expertise as Nigerians.
Comedians, musicians, and artists were not left behind. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the musical prophet, was brought back to life to join on this trend.
The latest now is the creation of a Wikipedia page tagged: “Lazy Nigerian Youths”. Wikipedia described it as a social media outrage by Nigerian youth.
Read the Wikipedia post below, images included:
“The Lazy Nigerian Youths (Also known as “#LazyNigerianYouth” or simply “#LazyYouth”) is a social media revolt by Nigerian youths against their President, Muhammadu Buhari.”
“While speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster in April Buhari said a lot of Nigerian youths have not been to school and they want everything free because the country is an oil-producing state. [1] But the Nigerian youths will not have any of it as they soon took to social media to protest against the comment of the number one citizen of the country.
“After a report of the event by TheCable Staff Writer, Mayowa Tijani, who happened to be the only Nigerian journalist allowed to attend the business forum, the Nigerian social media space went angry at the comment with millions of Nigerian youths tweeting about their ventures and how they work hard to make a living in a country that has done little to help her citizens survive.”
Wikipedia said the controversy had been recieved in different ways, with some using it as a business opportunity.
It also referenced a story TheCable did on Mayow Tijani, the reporter, who filed the report.
Meanwhle, Banky W reacted to the Lazy Nigerian Youths …
So apparently, this is what our President thinks about the Nigerian youth.
What do you guys think?
I have a suggestion. Whether you agree, or disagree with the President’s comments, this time, do a little bit more than posting, commenting, retweeting, and complaining. Go and register to vote.
I’ve sat in countless meetings, seminars, conferences and hangouts with young people. We are always great at pointing out our issues.. but the truth is that we can sit around and complain from now until Kingdom come. IT WILL NOT MATTER. INEC will not count your tweets. Let’s turn the month of May into #PVCMay.
