Summary: APC chieftain Ayiri Emami stirs controversy by claiming hungry Nigerians are lazy and don’t want to work, echoing former President Buhari’s statement amid worsening economic hardship.
Chief Ayiri Emami, a prominent businessman and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sparked massive controversy with his recent comments about Nigerians complaining of hunger. In a video that has since gone viral across social media platforms, the billionaire businessman dismissed widespread hunger complaints, echoing former President Muhammadu Buhari’s infamous statement about Nigerians being “lazy.”
The Statement That Has Got Nigerians Talking
Chief Emami didn’t mince words when he addressed the growing outcry about food insecurity and economic hardship across the country. According to him, Nigerians who constantly complain about hunger are simply unwilling to work hard enough to feed themselves.
“They are always complaining about hunger. Like Buhari said, Nigeria has too many lazy people and they don’t want to work,” Emami stated in the trending video clip.
The APC chieftain went further to argue that food insecurity isn’t peculiar to Nigeria alone but is rather a global challenge affecting many nations worldwide. His position suggests that Nigerians should stop complaining and instead focus on working harder to improve their circumstances.
Context: Nigeria’s Current Economic Reality
Emami’s comments come at a particularly sensitive time for millions of Nigerian families struggling to afford basic meals. Since the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira in 2023, the cost of living has skyrocketed beyond the reach of average citizens.
Key economic indicators paint a grim picture:
– Inflation rates have soared above 30%, with food inflation even higher
– Transportation costs have tripled in many parts of the country
– Basic food items like rice, beans, garlic, and vegetable oil have become luxury goods for many households
– Minimum wage of ₦70,000 can barely buy a bag of rice in many markets
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 133 million Nigerians now live in multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack access to basic necessities including adequate nutrition.
Social Media Erupts in Response
As expected, Emami’s comments have triggered an avalanche of reactions from Nigerians on social media platforms, with many expressing anger and disappointment at what they perceive as insensitivity from the political elite.
Twitter (X), Facebook, and Instagram have been flooded with responses from citizens sharing their daily struggles with unemployment, underemployment, and the rising cost of living. Many have pointed out the irony of a wealthy businessman and political figure calling struggling Nigerians “lazy” while benefiting from government connections and contracts.
Popular social commentators have also weighed in, with some describing the statement as “tone-deaf” and “disconnected from the reality of ordinary Nigerians.”
Buhari’s Original Statement Revisited
Chief Emami’s comments reference former President Muhammadu Buhari’s controversial 2018 statement during a visit to the United Kingdom, where he described Nigerian youths as lazy and unwilling to work.
“A lot of them haven’t been to school at all, but they are claiming that they deserve jobs. They are always complaining. We have a very young population; our population is estimated at 180 million. More than 60 percent of the population is below the age of 30. A lot of them have no skills and no jobs,” Buhari had said at the time.
That statement generated nationwide outrage, with many Nigerians feeling insulted and misunderstood by their own president. The hashtag #LazyNigerianYouths trended for weeks as citizens showcased their achievements, innovations, and hard work both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.
The Other Side of the Argument
While many disagree with Emami’s assessment, some Nigerians have expressed partial agreement with the notion that self-reliance and hard work remain important values. However, even among this group, most emphasize that hard work alone cannot overcome systemic challenges like:
– Lack of enabling environment for businesses to thrive
– Epileptic power supply that cripples small and medium enterprises
– High taxation on struggling businesses
– Insecurity affecting farming communities and economic activities
– Corruption that diverts public funds meant for development
– Poor infrastructure that increases the cost of doing business
Questions for Nigeria’s Leaders
Emami’s statement raises important questions about the disconnect between Nigeria’s political class and the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens:
1. How many unemployed graduates have applied for thousands of jobs without success?
2. How many small business owners have been forced to shut down due to multiple taxation and lack of basic infrastructure?
3. How many farmers have abandoned their farms due to insecurity and kidnapping?
4. How many hardworking Nigerians can no longer afford to feed their families despite working multiple jobs?
The Way Forward
Rather than dismissing hunger complaints as laziness, experts argue that Nigerian leaders should focus on creating an environment where hard work can actually yield results. This includes:
– Investing in critical infrastructure like power, roads, and transportation
– Creating security for farmers and rural communities
– Supporting small businesses with accessible financing and reduced taxation
– Addressing corruption that diverts resources from development projects
– Implementing policies that put money in people’s pockets, not take more from them
Final Thoughts
As the debate rages on, one thing remains clear: millions of Nigerians are genuinely suffering, and dismissing their struggles as laziness only deepens the divide between leaders and the led.
What Nigerians need now more than ever is empathy, practical solutions, and leadership that understands their daily reality—not lectures about laziness from those who have never experienced such hardship.
What do you think about Chief Emami’s statement? Are Nigerians truly lazy, or are our leaders simply out of touch? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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