Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, has lamented how values among youths in the country have taken a turn for the worse and the embrace of cyber-fraud.
At a virtual conference organised by the umbrella body of Ijaw cultural associations; the Ijaw Nation Development Group (INDG), Alison Madueke said things have degenerated to the extent that fraudsters commonly called “yahoo yahoo boys” are respected in the society.
She called for a recalibration of the minds of young people, saying only hard work could guarantee success.
“The ones that have swag, the Yahoo Yahoo boys as my son would say; these in short, are the role models they are looking at. These are the ones that reinforce negative societal norms and values,” the former minister said in a video shared by Jackson Ude, publisher of Point Blank New.
“This is a travesty of an unfolding tragedy for us. Why have I spent time talking about fatherless homes and the impact it has on our children? The truth of the matter is that an irresponsible boy tends to become an irresponsible man and it is therefore a vicious cycle. If you plant yam, you cannot harvest plantain.”
