Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said that societal values have disintegrated to the point where online fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, have become role models in the Nigerian society.

Diezani said this while delivering a lecture at a virtual event, organised by the Ijaw National Development Group on Friday. Also present at the event was Alison-Madueke's former boss, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

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Diezani,during the lecture, stressed the need for mentorship of Ijaw youths. The former minister 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.

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“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.”

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Diezani stated there are no shortcuts to progressing in life, adding that only hard work could guarantee success.

“This issue affects not only our homes and our cultural and traditional values and structure but it permeates the very strength of our regional economy as well.