Erstwhile Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke has lamented the bastardization of moral values to the level that internet fraudsters, christened Yahoo boys have become role models for Nigerian youths.
She made the remark on Friday during a virtual keynote address during an event which had her former principal. President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance.
She advocated for proper mentoring of Ijaw youths, who according to her are faced with the temptation of joining the bandwagon. The event was organised by the Ijaw National Development Group.
In the video posted on Twitter by Jackson Ude, Diezani said, “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 they have 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.”