Criticisms have continued to trail the recent comments by a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, condemning the glorification of internet fraudsters otherwise known as yahoo yahoo boys by Nigerian youth.
A Lagos lawyer, who commented on the video clips of the event, queried her moral justification to condemn an offence she is guilty of, describing it as a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
The former oil minister, who is being investigated in Nigeria and the United Kingdom for alleged corruption, was a guest speaker at a virtual event organised by the Ijaw National Development Group on Friday.
In the video clips of the event, which went viral weekend, she took a swipe at Nigerian youth, who she said were looking up to internet fraudsters as their role model.
“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,” she told the audience.”
A Lagos-based lawyer, Santus Onyema noted that the minister was born and married into rich families believed to be among reputable ones in Nigeria yet she soiled the families reputation by allegedly “stealing like a common criminal”.
The legal practitioner expressed sadness that the same women, who fled Nigeria to evade prosecution for corruption, and was arrested in the UK, where she resides currently, for a similar offence, could come out bold to condemn the act she was linked to.
“Diezani was a former Shell Executive Director, her late father was a former top Shell staff, her husband was a former Military Governor, yet she was involved in such massive fraud in Nigeria. Tell me what moral justification she has to condemn the youth indulge in similar acts. Is she not a yahoo kingpin.
” My advise to her is to come home and clear herself of sundry criminal allegations levelled against her. This is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black “, he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been making efforts to extradite the ex-minister to face money laundering charges in Nigeria.
She fled the country immediately after President Muhammad Buhari won the 2015 presidential election.
Some of the properties linked to her were forfeited to the Nigerian government on the orders of the Court.
Last month, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had summoned her to appear on October 28, to enter her plea to money laundering charge the EFCC, preferred against her.