Fraud among youths reflects policy failures, says Maman

Prominent youth development advocate, Elisha Maman, has blamed the surge in cybercrime and financial fraud among young Nigerians on systemic policy failures and the government’s inability to provide viable economic alternatives for the country’s expanding youth population.

Maman, who spoke in Kaduna at a mindset reorientation summit convened under the platform of the Winning Mindset Initiative, said that Nigeria’s worsening youth crime statistics are direct symptoms of poor economic planning, a failing education system, and chronic neglect of enterprise development.

“There is crime in every country, but what we are seeing in Nigeria is a symptom of government neglect. When you have millions of young people sitting idle and frustrated with no access to jobs, finance, or skills training, you create a breeding ground for criminal activity,” he said.

According to Maman, he resigned from formal employment at the age of 38 to focus on youth mentoring, noting that the illusion of sudden wealth through internet fraud and Ponzi schemes is now filling the void left by failed governance.

“Most of these boys didn’t wake up wanting to become fraudsters. But when all they see is unemployment and broken systems, they begin to idolise the wrong things. If the government doesn’t act fast, we’ll keep losing the next generation,” he warned.

He faulted the country’s over-reliance on formal degrees, insisting that Nigeria’s universities continue to produce certificate holders who lack workplace competencies.

He said, “We’ve built a system where a person can have a certificate but still be unemployable. Meanwhile, the world has moved. The jobs of today require relevant, practical skills, not just paper qualifications.”

He called on parents, educators, and faith leaders to include financial education in youth programming, warning that failure to do so will continue to expose the younger generation to financial fraud and disappointment.

“Any investment that promises 50% returns in a week without showing you how the money is made is not a business — it’s fraud. But young people fall for it because they’ve been conditioned to believe wealth is luck, not strategy,” he said.

According to him, the best solution to youth-driven crime is not policing, but inclusion.

“You don’t fight fraud with slogans. You fight it by giving young people legitimate pathways to success. That means real education, real mentoring, and real capital access,” he added.

Also speaking at the summit, renowned Human Resources (HR) consultant and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Amra Business Consulting, Ambassador Ugbenyo Josiah, took participants through high-demand global skills, job readiness, and funding options for small businesses.

Josiah, who is known for training young professionals on certification tracks, career opportunities, and scholarship access, said most young Nigerians remain unemployed not for lack of ambition but due to lack of direction and mentorship.

“There are job opportunities both home and abroad, but most people are simply not prepared for them. That’s why we invest heavily in guiding youth on global certifications, accessing scholarships, and business consulting for real impact,” he said.

He added that beyond awareness, young people need platforms that help them become competitive in today’s economy.

Meanwhile, Maman said that the Winning Mindset Initiative has held over 60 self-funded conferences in the last seven years, impacting thousands of youth across Northern Nigeria.

“Through this initiative, we have trained thousands of Northern youths in seven years, and we are focused on correcting these misconceptions through real-life success stories, mentorship, and skill development,” he added.

He called on government at all levels to collaborate with credible grassroots groups that are already recording impact, rather than wasting public funds on “paper programmes that never touch lives.”