The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that many internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, are intelligent and creative youths whose potential should be redirected toward productive ventures rather than condemned.
Speaking on Saturday in Onitsha at the Golden Health Conference held at the Archbishop Patterson Auditorium, All Saints’ Cathedral, Obi described the event — themed “Money Beyond Wealth” — as a timely effort to promote ethical leadership and moral renewal among Nigerian youths.
“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. Instead of throwing them away, let’s find ways to channel their energy into technology, enterprise, and problem-solving.”
The former Anambra State governor, who cut short a two-day engagement in the United Kingdom to attend the conference, decried the country’s growing obsession with materialism, saying it has eroded core values.
“Money is important, but it is only a small part of true wealth. Real wealth uplifts both the individual and society. It promotes education, reduces poverty, and creates opportunities for others to live dignified lives,” he said.
He lamented that Nigeria cannot achieve greatness while celebrating corruption and dishonesty. “A nation that rewards wrongdoers cannot build integrity,” he stated, adding that leaders must lead by example if the nation hopes to restore moral discipline.
“Leadership must lead by example. No society can progress when dishonesty is rewarded and integrity is mocked,” Obi emphasized.
He urged Nigerian youths to rediscover the dignity of labour, embrace hard work, and contribute meaningfully to national development, noting that “nations are not built by miracles but by men and women who think, work, and build.”
Obi further called for justice, equity, and fairness in governance, stressing that national progress depends on honesty and shared purpose, not ethnicity or religion.
“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 added.
