TheCable

Tony Momoh, former minister of information, says President Muhammadu Buhari owes nobody an apology for saying some Nigerian youths “sit at home doing nothing because Nigeria is an oil- producing state”.

Buhari made the controversial comment while speaking at the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London.

Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, had asked Buhari to withdraw the statement and apologise.

But speaking to DAILY INDEPENDENT, Momoh asked why the president should apologise for “saying the truth”.

“That the president should apologise? Apologise for what? Are many Nigerian youths not staying at home doing nothing? Why should he apologise for saying the truth?” Momoh said.

“Is it not true that many of our youths are sitting at home doing anything because of lack of opportunities? If he is going to apologise, it will be because the government is trying to create opportunities for youths. To apologise for saying a lot of Nigerian youths are staying at home is unnecessary”.

According to Momoh, Buhari only said what was on his mind, “unlike the professional politicians who are used to lying”.

“The fact is President Buhari is a very highly focused man. He says what is on his mind and is never afraid of doing so,” he said.

“If you want to analyse the issue, you will discover that he is just speaking his mind unlike the professional politicians who are used to lying. Having discovered that many Nigerian youths stay at home and have no work to do, it is his responsibility to create avenue for them to work.

“If Shell is going to invest $15b or more in Nigeria, is it not a way of creating avenues for the youths who stay at home doing nothing? A lot of Nigerians are focusing on unimportant things, playing politics with important issues by distorting what the president said.

“If I were to look at the issue, I will focus on the fact that Shell is going to invest $15b in Nigeria and create avenues for unemployed youths to work.”