Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that the creativity and courage of internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo boys, can be harnessed to drive innovation and national development if properly redirected.
Obi stated this 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 erosion of moral values among Nigerian youths.
“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.”
The former governor, who recently returned from a two-day engagement in the United Kingdom, said he cut his trip short to attend the youth conference in Onitsha, stressing that the issue of materialism among young people has become a moral crisis in society.
“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 emphasised that true wealth uplifts both the individual and society. “Real wealth promotes education, reduces poverty, and creates opportunities for others to live dignified lives,” he added.
He also cautioned against the reckless pursuit of money, saying it destroys both character and community.
“Leadership must lead by example, for a nation that rewards dishonesty cannot build integrity,” he said.
Urging Nigerian youths to rediscover the dignity of labour and embrace hard work, Obi said nations are not built by miracles but by “men and women who think, work, and build.”
He also stressed the need for fairness and merit as 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.