Nigeria’s former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has Internet fraudsters also known as “Yahoo Yahoo boys” are now seen as role models in the Nigerian society.
Diezani made this comment while speaking at an event organised by the Ijaw Nation Development Group (INDG) which was held virtually on Friday.
She noted that there are no shortcuts to progressing in life, adding that only hard work could guarantee success.
In her words: “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.
“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.”
The former minister, who is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for alleged fraud has been living in the United Kingdom since 2015.
