Former minister of petroleum resources Diezani Alison-Madueke has lamented the lack of societal values that have now made internet fraudsters locally known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys’ role models in Nigerian society.
Mrs Diezani stated this during a virtual lecture organised by the Ijaw National Development Group on Friday. Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Diezani’s former boss, was part of the event.
Publisher of Point Blank News Jackson Ude shared the videos of her lecture on Twitter on Sunday.
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 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.”
Diezani said there are no shortcuts to progressing in life, adding that only hard work could guarantee success.
The former minister said societal values had collapsed mainly because of weak family bonds caused by broken homes.
She thanked Mr Jonathan for empowering women during his tenure.
Diezani is wanted in Nigeria for alleged fraud. She has been in the United Kingdom since 2015.
She was reportedly appointed as a Commissioner for Trade and Investment by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of the Commonwealth of Dominica and handed a diplomatic passport which has helped her to evade prosecution.
