Ex-VP says BBN winner, Miracle, is proof Nigerian youths are hardworking

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated Miracle Igbokwe, the winner of the 2018 edition of reality television show, Big Brother Naija, hailing his victory as further proof of the hardworking spirit of Nigerian youths.

The former vice president's comment is an obvious jab at President Muhammadu Buhari's recent remark that a lot of Nigerian youths are lazy.

While speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, President Buhari remarked that a lot of Nigerian youths wait on handouts from the government.

"More than 60 percent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven't been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare, education free," he said.

He has been heavily criticised by Nigerians for his utterance, with Atiku previously commenting that Nigerian youths are hardworking with great entrepreneurial spirit, work ethic, and creative abilities that should be nurtured.

After Miracle was declared the winner of the reality show on Sunday, April 22, 2018, Atiku took to his Twitter account to congratulate him and urge Nigerian youths to believe in themselves.

He wrote, "Congratulations to Miracle, winner of BBNaija. Miracle is proof that Nigerian youths are hardworking, innovative and creative.

"May this victory lead to the miraculous for Nigeria's youth who have shown that they have what it takes to help take this great nation of ours to the next level. To Nigeria’s youth I say, continue to believe in yourselves."

Buhari's words manipulated - Presidency

After the relentless wave of criticism that trailed Buhari's comments, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, released a statement to allege that his words had been deliberately twisted by mischief makers to fit their agenda.

According to him, the president did not say that all Nigerian youths are lazy, but rather a lot of them. He further argued that the president could not have taken a swipe at all Nigerian youths because he values the youths, and knows that they are the fulcrum on which the future of the country rests.