Emmanuel lkpeama
The Kogi State Government has intensified efforts to combat cybercrime with the launch of the Kogi Anti-Internet Fraud Campaign, while advocating the establishment of Anti-Internet Fraud Campaign Clubs in schools and tertiary institutions across the state.
Speaking during the official flag-off ceremony held at the Government House in Lokoja, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Ayoade Arike, stressed the need for collective action in addressing the growing menace of internet fraud among youths.
She called on parents, educational institutions, religious bodies and community leaders to support government initiatives aimed at restoring moral values and discouraging the pursuit of quick wealth through illegal means.
According to her, societal values are gradually declining due to poor moral upbringing and increasing obsession with instant riches, noting that everyone has a role to play in correcting the trend.
“The system is going bad and it’s in our hands to correct it,” she stated, while advocating the creation of anti-fraud clubs in schools to sensitize students against cybercrime and unethical practices.
Earlier in his remarks, the Convener of the campaign and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Fraud and Internet Matters, Oluseyi Kelvin Eleta, explained that the initiative was introduced to safeguard the reputation and future of Kogi State.
He warned that intelligence and creativity become destructive when not guided by integrity,urging young people to channel their talents into innovation,entrepreneurship,digital investment and other productive ventures instead of cybercrime.
Delivering a lecture titled “Internet Fraud and the Nigerian Youth: The Way Forward,” CP Nathaniel Diton, speaking on behalf of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), identified pressure, opportunity and rationalization as major factors encouraging fraudulent behaviour among youths.
He advised young Nigerians to embrace legitimate means of livelihood and cautioned against defending corruption on the basis of ethnicity, friendship or social sentiments.
Also speaking at the event, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, insisted that the state should not be identified by the activities of internet fraudsters.
He described Kogi people as intelligent, hardworking and hospitable, while blaming some parents for indirectly encouraging cybercrime by accepting expensive gifts from unemployed children without questioning the source of the money.
Fanwo further revealed that the state government is developing innovation hubs aimed at helping youths harness their digital skills for lawful and productive purposes.
As part of the programme, the Commissioner donated N100,000 to Great Onize Suleiman of GYB Model School in recognition of her outstanding presentation during the campaign event.
The Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Helen Adebirimibe, alongside the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Taiye Abanika, also encouraged parents to invest in the future of their children and advised youths to use the internet positively.
Students from GYB Model School and Faith Academy presented papers highlighting the negative effects of internet fraud on individuals, families and society.
The event drew government officials, security agencies, students and education stakeholders, all united in the call for stronger moral values and coordinated efforts to tackle cybercrime in Kogi State.