Some Nigerian social media users have disagreed with the former Director General of Bureau of Public Service Reform, Dr Joe Abah, over his comment that Nigerian youths prefer to channel their energy and attention into frivolities rather than collectively addressing issues that affect them and of greater impact.

Abah had taken to Twitter on Sunday morning to tweet:

You try to be big brother to Naija youth but they prefer #BigBrotherNaija. You trend #EndSARS to protect them, although SARS will never harass you the way they harass them, but they prefer to trend #ReleaseTacha. As many parents often ask, “At what point exactly did I go wrong?”

— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) September 29, 2019

His tweet was in reaction to the #EndSARS and #ReleaseTacha hashtags which became trending topics on Saturday night over allegations that organisers of the Big Brother Naija TV reality show were holding the former housemate hostage after disqualifying her from the show since Friday night. #EndSARS, on the other hand, climbed to the top of Twitter trends in Nigeria following an allegation by a software developer that he was extorted by some police officers in Lagos after threatening to shoot him.

Abah’s viral tweet which has garnered over 7,000 retweets and over 12,500 likes sparked uproar and a series of reactions among Twitter users as many disagreed with him.

Prominent among the responses to Abah’s assertion is a tweet from journalist Yomi Kazeem who quoted Abah’s viral tweet and wrote:

Your generation didn’t have Big Brother to “distract” them, yet see where they’ve led Nigeria? What’s your excuse? https://t.co/lvZohQTVBm

— Yomi Kazeem (@TheYomiKazeem) September 29, 2019

Abah disagreed with Kazeem that his generation had no distraction, he said the WWE wrestling was the distraction of his generation and his generation didn’t see it as an excuse not to engage the military government and kicked them out of government.

He wrote:

My generation had WWE wrestling to distract us. It didn’t stop us from fighting the military and their bullets and kicking them out. Your generation won’t even leave Big Brother and come out to vote in order to kick out my generation. What’s your excuse? https://t.co/F7r7urjc68

— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) September 29, 2019

Kazeem responded implying that the fight against military rule didn’t yield a better result for the nation other than ruin and destruction of the nation’s commonwealth.

“And what happened since you kicked them out?” he asked.

“Poverty capital of the world etc. Your generation wilfully destroyed this country and will bequeath a failed state to us. You don’t get to bash young people. There is no version of this “blame game” you’ll win. Good night,” Kazeem added.

Abah tweeted:

You know the best thing about this argument? Unless you are under the age of 25, you and I are the same generation. We didn’t drink milk or eat full chicken. We paid school fees too. We were jobless too. We emigrated too. We’ve done Facebook together. We are on Twitter now?✌? https://t.co/q34umAM5GC

— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) September 30, 2019

Some Twitter users have since taken up the debate. While some disagreed with Abah’s stance, others believed he stated the obvious.

Some Nigerians who are of Abah’s generation have also taken to the micro-blogging site to lend their voice in support of his claim.

Olusoga Owoeye wrote:

lost friends and comrades to bullets, we carried anti-government posters and handbills in the dead of the night from Lagos to Zaria, we risked expulsion, prison and death . Every generation has a mission, fulfilled it or betray it. Organize don’t Agonise.

— Olusoga Owoeye (@olusogaowoeye) September 30, 2019

See other reactions:

Las Las Dr Joe Abah is saying the truth….We have no spine and it didn’t start today, Gradually and over time they succeeded in breaking our Will….The ones that rise up and try to lead the people are abandoned by the same people. They end up paying with their lives…

— Ughelli’s only Son (@nyerhovwo16) September 30, 2019

Someone should tell Joe Abah to chill with the new-gen bashing. We get it, his generation made Nigeria a world power and we were the ones who destroyed it.

— Ayomide Tayo (@AOT2) September 30, 2019

“You trend #EndSARS to protect them”

Joe Abah said he’s doing you all a favour by trending #EndSARS. He lives in the moon or has no clue about how police brutality affects him, if young people are unable to move freely as active participants in the economy.

Nonsense!!! pic.twitter.com/dSrdyyzaEQ

— The African Analyst (@AfrikaAnalyst) September 29, 2019

Dr Joe Abah is funny. Putting all the blame on the youths. Baba, na your generation keep us for here. Politicians are embezzling billions but, it is our fault.

— odejimjim (@odenibo) September 29, 2019

Joe Abah talking like it’s not the same youths being oppressed that are trending the #EndSars hashtag. Man wants to make it look like it’s people like him that do that. A fraudulent, two faced old man.

— The Ascetic Hedonist. (@VerbalPugilist_) September 29, 2019

Dr. Joe Abah – someone said i should tell you ‘that Nigerian youths can’t kill themselves.
How long has #EndSars been trending on social media?Over months- and times without number, and what change(s) has the trends brought?Perhaps we could have taken to the streets in nationwide

— Grace A. Ogbonna (@gracedchild96) September 29, 2019

I agree with Dr Joe Abah about his generation ruining our generation and how this generation prefer fun-fair over things of important value. You hardly see us engage in political matters, policy making affairs but let an hashtag about one person using fame to open economic…

— High Chief OJA ?? (@azinmz_ovijay) September 30, 2019

Joe Abah and Nigerians 50yrs upward have no right to criticize the youths.

Your generation DESTROYED Nigeria. Your generation is STILL LOOTING Nigeria.
Yet you want us to fix YOUR mess?

NO THANK YOU. We deserve better and we’re leaving to find it.
Screw you.

— Ijeoma (@Art_of_Achalugo) September 30, 2019

Dr Joe Abah and his generation had no accountability and squandered every opportunity they had!

Visa Free travel, infrastructure, great education, bubbling economy, etc

They ate and destroyed everything without thinking they were gonna give birth to kids

— Being Human is not Enough (@realdanielemeka) September 30, 2019

 

 

And his generation keep using poverty against us. Joblessness has now become a crime

— Khalifa (@FemiPapi) September 29, 2019

And what’s worse? Your generation can’t do jack about it.

— Dr. Joe Abah (@DrJoeAbah) September 29, 2019

“Fighting Military and their bullets”

We’re in a sane world devoid of violence and savagery, Else we should have locked up everyone in your generation (& above) and let you all rot in Jail.

Your generation set precedence for this current ill-mannered, corrupt and clueless age.

— Mazi Wolfgang (@_Nwosu_) September 29, 2019

It was the Vice President Osinbajo who within last week asked young Nigerians to emulate Nigeria’s ‘founding fathers’. I wanted to ask him why he didn’t ask the youth to emulate his own generation

Your generation didn’t emulate the founding founders but your grandchildren should

— ?? (@solomonapenja) September 30, 2019

Your generation is the failed generation, you guys sucked at everything including parenting…. Look at what you raised……see the society you kept for us……no light, no jobs… We say make we us #BBNaija distract ourselves from taking snipper you are trolling us…. Yeye

— Chidubem U Onyejemuo (@amchidox) September 29, 2019