Moral and ethical weakness, exacerbated by irresponsible government creates enabling environment for fraud in Nigeria. Most Nigerians simply want money desperately.
―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Nigeria has gradually become deeply associated with fraud such that the phrase “internet fraud” on Google search will throw up several news reports on internet fraud in connection with young Nigerians. Fraud is the new epidemic sweeping across Nigeria; taking captive, many young Nigerians in their 20s and early 30s, with many of these fraudsters exporting their trade to safe heavens where they live and continue to terrorize innocent people.
I still remember clearly, around 2007 when my cousin asked me if they do yahoo in Calabar. Calabar is a beautiful garden city in Cross River state, South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria. I lived and schooled in Calabar at the time and as an undergraduate in the university then, I was not aware and could not say because before that time, I have never heard of “yahoo” beyond yahoo mail. I told him I do not know. He then informed me that it is popular in Enugu and that “boys are picking huge money”. The point is, essentially, this fraud epidemic is about the money, however it is picked.
In Enugu, they call it “itu akwukwo” which can be loosely translated to mean sending out mail to strangers making up stories in anticipation that they will fall for it; a typical case of “mugu fall, guy man chop”, in Nigerian parlance. Again this is much like spreading out fishnet over the surface of water for a catch. I later understood that “yahoo” is a compound term for a range of fraud that includes internet fraud, love scam and even mobile phone fraud. There is another one called “yahoo plus” which is to say that the fraudster also engaged some spiritual powers to defraud and obtain money by false pretence, from innocent people. These schemes have been on the rise for over a decade now, a national epidemic threatening to destroy a whole generation.
In Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti state, yahoo is very common among young men. During my short stay in Ekiti State University for National Youth Service, sights of undergraduate young men without any source of income but with lavish lifestyle abound in the campus and in the city. They showoff stupendous affluence, drive fine exotic cars but have no source of income or strong family background. Sometime last year when I visited Ado-Ekiti for an event after over seven years, the trend was still the same. In fact, as we pulled up in our hotel located off Adebayo, some group of boys upon seeing four well-dressed men suspected that we may be agents of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission- EFCC; they immediately entered their exotic Mercedes car and zoomed off.
In Lagos, Owerri, Abuja, Awka, Portharcourt, the trend is constant. Young men without any source of income live lavishly in exotic hotels, have the most beautiful women in town and drive fine cars and nobody questions them. Fraud has assumed the position of a new normal in our society because it seems to pay, at least in the short run. That is why young men are dying to be fraudulent. Although there cannot be any justification for defrauding people, yet, Nigerian fraudsters very easily find excuse for their crime in the fact that they do not have a job or a well-paid job. Many of these fraudsters are graduates or undergraduates without jobs and without hope of getting a job that in twenty years, can afford them a decent life not to mention the type of lifestyle fraud proceeds affords them almost immediately.
Nigerians know yahoo boys but generally do not just think internet fraud is bad enough.
The truth of this matter is that people are aware of fraudsters. Nigerians know yahoo boys but generally do not just think internet fraud is bad enough. We do not think what they do affect us. Yet, every week people fall for fraudulent phone calls, or email or text messages, sometimes losing money to these fraudsters. Text messages informing of one bank error or another and making requests for one to call a number attached thereto abound. I do not know if there is any Nigerian who is yet to get such text message. Calls of bank mistakes from unknown numbers and strangers posing as one’s banker abound. This they do in a bid to secure secrete debit card details to enable them defraud the unsuspecting victim and sometimes they succeed.
Notwithstanding, very many Nigerians are not particularly angry with fraudsters. Nigerians are not distraught. Morals have severely decayed. Decency and uprightness appear out of date for the most part, and the source of money no longer counts. These are some of the fundamental issues. Something strange is happening. Many parents cannot say for sure what their children do for a living these days; they simply do not care, it does not matter anymore. Moral and ethical weakness, exacerbated by irresponsible government creates enabling environment for fraud in Nigeria. Most Nigerians simply want money desperately.
It is my considered view also that social media culture is a powerful factor in the thriving business of fraud in Nigeria. The culture of showoff and the desire to be admired and loved is mounting enormous pressure on many young men. The endpoint of this is that money has assumed the single most important thing for many young people. When people like Ramoni Igbalode popularly known as Hushpuppi– an Instagram celebrity, who is also a role model to thousands of young people because of his propensity for wild displays of flamboyance on Instagram, continue to harass the psyche of young men with his constant reminder of all the things money can afford, the impact can be far-reaching and dangerous.
It doesn’t even matter anymore. People just want to a taste of good life at any and all cost, with or without work.
Although Hushpuppi has no known established source of income yet, he drives some of the most expensive cars in the world and displays same on social media. His recent arrest by the Dubai Police came to many as a surprise but in truth, there is nothing surprising about it. It is only on social media that people without proven source of income display affluence and their followers ask them (social media celebrity) to “bless” them, even when it is known that they are fraudsters. It doesn’t even matter anymore. People just want to a taste of good life at any and all cost, with or without work.
Another social media darling Obinwanne Okeke of Invictus has a master’s degree from Australian university and featured on Forbes at a time as one of Africa’s best in Forbes magazine under-thirty CEOs. I think he was twenty-eight years then. We were friends on Facebook. I once initiated a chat with him and after a few exchanges, I later asked him how he made it so quick, he never answered me and we never had any further chat. A friend whom I mentioned Obinawanne to then, later told me that he is a “G-guy” another name for yahoo boy. This was years ago before he was arrested last year by FBI. Obinwanne displayed expensive Mercedes cars like Hushpuppi displays Rolls Royce. All other g-guys live lavish lifestyle and drive fine exotic cars, travels around and showoff on social media. This is their trademark. Apparently Obinwanne used Invictus as a cover but obviously could not hide for eternity. But for some reasons, Obinawanne’s calamity was a devastating blow to young Nigerian entrepreneurs who now have to prove their ingenuity twice as much. It was a dent on Forbes too. However, the lesson is that the pattern is constant. Fraudsters do not end well. They end instantaneously and disgracefully. From driving fine cars and living in lavish hotel suites, to prison and broke. Young men looking the direction of Obinwanne and Ramoni must take notice that fraud is most unsustainable.
Young men looking the direction of Obinwanne and Ramoni must take notice that fraud is most unsustainable.
The truth really is; no man needs that much money to live a decent and happy life. Money itself does not guarantee any form of happiness or fulfillment. Therefore the excessive drive for quick money among young Nigerians is dangerous and most unhealthy for Nigeria and her people. Efforts towards deemphasizing money as a single most important commodity and one that must be acquired at all cost, must be intensified. The banks must also be more at alert to put suspicious transactions into proper scrutiny.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
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