A cleric, Muyeedeen Ayede, has advocated for the reorientation of young people, saying one in four Nigerian youths have taken to internet fraud as an occupation.

Mr Ayede stated this on Monday at the 1443 Hijrah grand rally organised by Oyo state chapter of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) in Ibadan.

Expressing worries over the rate at which youths were getting involved in internet fraud, Mr Ayede said, “Internet fraud is not only limited to the educated ones, many youths now abandon their apprenticeship to go into ‘yahoo yahoo’.

“In fact, out of every four youths, one is into ‘yahoo yahoo’,’’ he stated.

The cleric said the trend must not be allowed to continue, calling for Nigerians to re-orientate themselves if the desired progress and development of the country must take place.

Also speaking on the theme “Security, Peace-building and National Integration: Muslim Youths as Agent of National Stability,” Mr Ayede said that restructuring is not the solution to the numerous problems facing Nigeria but re-orientation of the citizens.

According to Mr Ayede, what is needed in Nigeria is for citizens to have positive mindsets about the country and place national interest above selfish interests.

Dawud Noibi, a former executive secretary of the Muslim Ummah of South-West Nigeria (MUSWEN), maintained that unity was essential for Nigeria’s peace and progress.

Mr Noibi decried the agitation for an Oodua Republic, stressing that the intention behind it was ill-motivated.

Chairman on the occasion and deputy president general (South) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Rasaki Oladejo, urged Muslims to shun evil acts and allow Hijrah to have positive impacts on their lives.

Earlier, the coordinator of the Oyo state chapter of NACOMYO, Dawood Afolabi, said the theme was due to the prevailing security situation in the country.

Mr Afolabi lauded the state government for declaring a public holiday to mark the Hijrah, urging the governor, Seyi Makinde, to ensure fairness to adherents of all religions.

In his remarks, the state deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, called for continuous engagement with the government and appealed to NACOMYO to be patient with the present administration.