Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, says it is important for the Federal Government to regconise the fact that the youths are the nation’s greatest asset.

He said this in a Facebook post on Thursday, apparently in reaction to the comments made by President Muhammadu Buhari about the youths.

In a video, the President had said that many of the youths below the age of 30 were uneducated, but waiting for everything to be done for them, just because Nigeria is an oil-rich country.

Atiku, on his part, said he would never refer to the youths as people who sit and do nothing, stressing that they are all hardworking.

“I should know, I have thousands of youths working for me all over the country who have been the backbone of 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,” he stated.

The former presidential candidate noted further that Nigerian youths are charting new frontiers and creating a huge technology industry on their own.

He added that their entrepreneurial spirit, work ethic, and creative abilities are things of pride that should be applauded, encouraged and nurtured by the government.

Meanwhile, Many of the reactions to the President’s comments have been critical, some of whom accused him of describing the youths as lazy and being humourous with national pride.

However, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, in a statement on Thursday, accused mischief makers of twisting President Buhari’s comments.

“There is no way President Buhari, father of the Nigerian nation in every sense of the word, who equally has biological children of his own in the youths age bracket, pass a vote of no confidence on all youths.

“It can only exist in the imagination of those who play what the President has described as ‘irresponsible politics’ with everything,” Adesina said.