A deaf lawyer, Barr. Catherine Edeh, has penned an open letter to President Buhari over his negative portrayal of Nigerian youth, flatly disagreeing with the President’s assumptions, INN reports
Barr. Edeh, who shared her opinion on her facebook page, pointed out that it was wrong for Buhari to assume, in the face of the whole world, that Nigerian youths are ‘uneducated and lazy’
She says, “I am here to tell you that I am NOT ‘Uneducated and Lazy’ as has become your trademark of demarketing me as a Nigerian youth whenever you travel outside the shores of Nigeria.”
Barr. Edeh recalled her harrowing experience while growing up, “…even though I became Deaf as a kid in primary school with little or no hope of completing my primary school, I am today a lawyer, special educator, disability rights/inclusion advocate, public speaker, award winning young African leader, award winning Mandela Washington fellow and a social entrepreneur.”
“I am the first Deaf female person in Nigeria to write her O’level and UME exams applying to study Law and getting the admission with the authorities of my choice institution fully knowing I am Deaf.”
She reminded President Buhari that she was the first Deaf female to write the Council of Legal Education although she is postlingual but completely Deaf and was posted to Bwari Law School. “And you dared to call me ‘Illiterate and Lazy’”
“I’ve never been outside the shores of Enugu State till my urge to go to school drove me out of the State unaccompanied. The first place I landed was far away Unibadan where I was referred to FCE (Sp) Oyo and was admitted same session.
I passed through hell on the hellish Nigerian roads frequently travelling from Enugu to Oyo, Ilorin and Abuja till I completed my programs. I encountered highway robbers so many times, encountered reptiles, slept inside broken down vehicles in the most isolated places, suffered under the scorching sun and trekked to the school through bushy paths in the most ungodly hours. All these I passed through to get educated and help build a stronger and better Nigeria. Yet all I get from you is that I am ‘Illiterate and Lazy Youth’”, she recalled.
Barr. Edeh equally reminded President Buhari saying: “What you did not know also was that I lost my dad as a kid. I was the third in the family of nine children. All of us were practically in school at that time. My mom was educationally disadvantaged and just a housewife. Our education was severely threatened. Some of us resorted to going to live as househelps just to go to school. I worked during holidays, source for scholarships and funds, and approached relatives and my state government who also helped. Today, apart from the first child in my family who stopped after O’level and ventured into business which he is doing well in, the rest of us are graduates. We never prostituted to train ourselves in school. We suffered and sweated for every penny just to pay school fees and achieve our dreams. Yet all you could call us was ‘Illiterates and Lazy People’.”
She called out Buhari for not giving jobs or empowering graduates with disabilities and have became a very difficult thing ever since his administration came into power.B
“I’ve been invited for interviews and did well during the interviews but denied of appointment. You said you were fighting corruption but it was only under your administration that someone suggested that I should offer bribe to see if I’ll get employed because according to the person, that is what others are doing. But I stood my ground. In spite of this, I am ‘Illiterate and Lazy’ in your eyes, she lambasted
Barr. Edeh, still fuming, dubbed the President as indolent saying, “You are so lazy that you can’t even create jobs nor empower our youth. Yet you always SHAMELESSLY travel abroad to open your ‘nyash’ wide and demarket us as ‘Illiterates and Lazy Youths’’
Rhetorically, she queried Buhari on who was more lazy. “Put yourself in my shoe and tell me if you’ll reach half of where I am today. I travel to different countries from time to time as a social entrepreneur, public speaker and youth leader, doing what I am very passionate about, for a better and more inclusive world, even when you in your cruelessness refused to recognize me in Nigeria. You who can’t even produce an O’level certificate when you were contesting for presidency. You whom I learnt his highest academic qualification was primary school leaving certificate. You had the audacity to call me ‘Illiterate and Lazy’.”
Barr. Edeh admonished President Buhari respect himself and guard his utterances She said that Nigerian youth are never lazy. “NEVER! in my journey to different countries as a social entrepreneur and youth leader, every top five performing participants always has one or two Nigerians in them. And everytime I network with people after making my contribution and got asked where I am from and I responds ‘Nigeria’, I get remarks like ‘No wonder, Nigerians always stand out..they’re extremely brilliant and very industrious’ and many other positive remarks that makes me forget the sufferings in Nigeria and at least feel proud of being a Nigeria for just one thing.”
“So Mr President, it is said that people talk from experience. Probably you were talking from experience. If you, your wife, children and relatives are Illiterates, Ignorants, Clueless and Lazy, kindly narrow it down to that context sir. Don’t ever use Nigerian youth as a cover up. Don’t stereotype. We are not ‘Illiterates and Lazy’. If your cluelessness and failure to deliver your bogged campaign promises, bringing recession upon us and other atrocities could not send us to the grave prematurely, your unguarded utterances certainly can’t! We are Nigerians, we are potent seed; anytime, anywhere”, she summed up.
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