FOOD FOR THOUGHT : Nasir El-Rufai and his two daughters, By Femi Fani-Kayode

The graduate unemployment rate in Nigeria is 80 per cent yet these young people that are abusing and mocking my friend and brother, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the former Minister of FCT, for saying that he has two daughters that have masters degrees but who cannot find jobs do not seem to appreciate the gravity of their own situation or understand the point that he was trying to make.

Nasir El-Rufai was simply speaking up for the very youths and jobless graduates that are now mocking and insulting him because of his comment. I assure you that his daughters will never starve and they can get jobs anywhere in the world or even end up working in any of his own numerous companies and business concerns if they so choose. He was only trying to use their plight as an example of the sad condition that Nigeria has found herself in where only two out of every ten graduates can find jobs.

If we put that in proper perspective it means that out of every one thousand graduates only 200 will find jobs and it means that out of every 10,000 graduates only 2000 will find jobs. This is as a consequence of the economic mess that the Jonathan administration has created in the last three years. The unemployment rate today has NEVER been as bad as it is today in our entire history. That is what Nasir El-Rufai was trying to point out only because he is humane and he empathises with the youth. He feels their pain. Those young people that do not get the point he was trying to make and that are mocking him and subjecting him and his daughters to ridicule and insults for saying what he said deserve to go through the suffering and frustration that they are experiencing in life.

Their colleagues and age-mates from other parts of the world have jobs and they are excelling and doing well simply because they live in functional, well-organised and well-led societies whose leaders care for their welfare and which have strong and booming economies. That is what Nasir El-Rufai wants for Nigeria and the Nigerian youth but most of them just don’t get it.

Well the joke is on them and not him and his daughters. Ignorance is a terrible diesease. Those youths ought to be thanking God that some of us that are leaders in the political class actually care about such issues and wish to highlight them. The truth is that most Nigerian politicians don’t and they really just don’t ”give a damn”. I commend Nasir for his courage, for the fact that he can cite his daughter’s cases as an example and for his efforts. Those young people on twitter and fb that have been insulting and mocking him ought to cut him some slack.