Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said that Nigeria can transform internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, into innovators if their talents are properly harnessed and redirected.
Obi made the remark on Saturday while speaking at the Golden Health Conference held at the Archbishop Patterson Auditorium, All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha.
The event, themed “Money Beyond Wealth,” focused on addressing the moral decay and obsession with materialism among young Nigerians.
According to Obi, many of the young people involved in online scams possess exceptional creativity and intelligence that, if guided in the right direction, could contribute to national development.
“I told the youths that some of our so-called Yahoo boys are geniuses who need redirection, not condemnation,” Obi said. “Their creativity and courage, if properly guided, can drive innovation and national development. Our challenge is to channel their energy from deception to productive enterprise.”
He explained that he had returned from a two-day engagement in the United Kingdom just to attend the youth event in Onitsha, noting that the issue of greed and the pursuit of wealth at all costs has become a moral crisis in the country.
“The event addressed a vice that has eroded our values — the greed for material possessions,” he said. “While money is important, it is only a fragment of true wealth, which rests on integrity, character, and purpose.”
Obi stressed that true wealth uplifts not only an individual but society at large. “Real wealth promotes education, reduces poverty, and creates opportunities for others to live dignified lives,” he added.
He further warned that the reckless pursuit of money destroys both individual character and the moral fabric of the nation.
“Leadership must lead by example, for a nation that rewards dishonesty cannot build integrity,” Obi noted.
Urging the youths to rediscover the dignity of labour, he said no country grows by mere miracles but through men and women who think, work, and build.
The presidential hopeful also emphasised that fairness and merit must form the foundation of Nigeria’s progress.
“No religion or tribe buys bread cheaper than another. Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources; what we lack is the will to do what is right,” he said.
The former governor also commended the Bishop of the Diocese of the Niger, Most Rev. Dr. Owen Nwokolo, and the organisers of the conference for promoting moral renewal and ethical leadership among young Nigerians.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
