The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari's remarks about Nigerian youths at the ongoing Commonwealth meeting in London was misinterpreted by those it calls mischief makers bent on portraying the President in bad light.

President Muhammadu Buhari

statement by Presidential Spokesman Femi Adesina notes that the President could not have derided all Nigerian youths being the father of the nation who equally has children within the youth bracket.

According to Adesina, President Buhari has always applauded and celebrated Nigerian youths who excel in different areas of endeavour, from sports, to academia, and other realms, and he will continue to do so, because he values the youths, and knows that they are the fulcrum on which the future of the country rests

Insisting that every country has its share of idle population,which constitutes a huge burden on government at all levels, Femi said that President Buhari remains committed to youth development in Nigeria.

At the Commonwealth Business Forum in London on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari gave a keynote address on Making Business Easier Between Commonwealth Countries.

The presentation was followed by a discussion, and question and answer session.

Responding to a question, President Buhari had cause to talk about some Nigerian youths, and he said: " We have a very young population; our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. More than 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30. A lot of them have not been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.”