NIGERIAN YOUTHS ARE LAZY, UNEDUCATED; REALLY?

Useful seeds, plants, grass or vegetables find it very difficult to grow or thrive on a thorny, stony and muddy land but irrelevant seeds, grasses, plants or vegetables thrive, even blossom and flourish on any land. Can a Cydad tree produce orange fruit? How far can the youths go in a country where the fortunate ones, who became fortunate by intimidation and corruption, are suffocating the less fortunate ones who are the majority? What do Nigerian leaders expect from the youths in a country that they have completely messed up? What did our past and present leaders invent or produce when things were better off in Nigeria, and when they were youths? They were busy chasing shadows, they were busy dragging positions in order to loot and embezzle public funds, they were busy working for their own selfish gains, and now they expect magic.

President Muhammadu Buhari had described a lot of Nigerian youths as uneducated and lazy, meaning that they sit and expect manner to fall and keep falling from heaven for them. We agree with him actually but in a different way. A lot of Nigerian youths are very busy doing something but achieving nothing; they are busy inventing and creating things but people around them who should encourage and promote their inventions consider those needless; they are busy working hard only to spend their income to pay high rent, service and fuel their generators which they must use because of incessant power failure, service and fuel their kekes, taxis and buses which always break down because of bad roads, yes; they are very busy but achieving less at the end of the day, because as soon as they open a shop to do one thing or the other, tax collectors; either genuine or fake will give them reason not to continue.

Yes, a lot of Nigerian youths are lazy and uneducated; can I tell you why? They are products of the curriculum made by educated fools; curriculum that took no cognizance of the cultures and values of Nigerians, but that of their colonial masters; Curriculum that only prepared them to speak grammar and cram what the whites have invented instead of how to invent their own; a curriculum that taught them to cram the botanical or scientific names of plants and not the value or importance of those plants; they are the product of the curriculum that taught them that if they cannot speak English very well, they are illiterates, meanwhile Innocent Chukwuma, the founder and CEO of Innoson motors, who have invented many things, and who swims in millions, lectures young entrepreneurs using murdered English, yet many graduates; including masters degree holders cue up to be employed by him.

Yes, a lot of Nigerian youths are lazy and uneducated; can I tell you why? It is because they are products of busy parents who hustle from morning to night to make ends meet, because ‘things are hard’, while their children were left to live life as they please. Such parents rather make money to bribe the proprietors of their children, to keep promoting them until they graduate, than discipline them to learn. The so called lazy Nigerian youths are products of 'greedy and selfish, unqualified but yet employed lecturers' who rather take bribe from their students or have sex with them and pass them, rather than give them adequate knowledge they deserve.

A lot of Nigerian youths are lazy and uneducated because they are products of a lot of ‘Men of God’ who prophesy from their altars asking their gullible members to ‘receive it’ without actually teaching them how to work hard to ‘create it’, as God expects. A lot of Nigerian youths are lazy because they resorted to prayers in order to solve the problems created by their families and Nigerian leaders, instead of balancing their prayers with creative thinking and productivity.

Yes, a lot of Nigerian youths are lazy and uneducated; can I tell you why? This is because a lot of politicians, past and present leaders see them as irrelevant tools to be used as thugs, hired killers, and their errand boys and girls to commit all manner of evil; they are lazy and uneducated because due to limited factories and industries where they can work, they are available to grace the beds of Nigerian politicians and top public office holders, as sugar daughters and sugar boys, while the idiots who ought to be elders maintain their honorable positions and self esteem. Yet, most Nigerian youths have navigated these hurdles and rough terrains of Nigerian economy to prove themselves worthy and brought honour to our nation Nigeria.

Let President Buhari’s words not provoke Nigerian youths, instead, it should challenge them to think, create, innovate and be productive. How? You may ask. We know it is not easy. But we encourage the youths to get out of the streets; instead of hawking goods under the sun and rain, with little profit to take care of their numerous needs, they should learn a trade instead. If you don’t have the money to pay and learn a trade of your choice, make friend with an established wood worker, fashion designer, electrician, farmers etc. Request to work for them for free, if they refuse, look for another, until you get what you want. Run errands for them and learn what they do. If you find those who can pay you, better. When you think you have learnt enough to start your own, thank them and go and start small then grow big. It will seem uneasy until you make a move, then you will find out that it is easy.

Nigerian youths who are used or abused by politicians and top public office holders should know that they are wasting their youth. It is time they say no to their slave masters and find out ways to be free, and get a good life to secure their future. They shouldn’t continue to sell their entire future just for a stipend. Your evil masters and mistresses will pamper and shower you with gifts today, so they can use you to achieve their evil desires, but tomorrow, they will also be the ones to condemn you when you are found out, so that you don’t implicate them, why then are you destroying your life? You are the one exposing yourself to danger, you are the one fighting for their promotion, you are the one who look like the criminal and you are the one always hiding, while your slave masters and mistresses are applauded for doing exploits, they cruise around and enjoy their freedom and vocation while you gallivant in darkness; who is the loser? Who is fooling who?

It is obvious that our families and the society have disappointed us, but should we also disappoint ourselves? God is waiting for us to come and receive guidance and direction, to become creative and productive, so that we can surprise those who see us as illiterates and idlers. It is not too late to be useful. It is not too late to take off the garment of laziness and illiteracy they have forced down on us. This is the time to get a life.

Written by Olive Chinyere Amajuoyi

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