With Uche Nnadozie
Few weeks ago, the thing called yahoo-yahoo came into focus in Nigeria. An entrepreneur, Jason Njoku the owner of Iroko Television had latched on a raid carried out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a couple of night clubs in Lagos against internet fraudsters popularly known as yahoo-yahoo boys. He made bold claims about money laundering in the country and called on the anti fraud agency to focus on certain kinds of businesses as they are purveyors of fraud. He alleged that a lot of night clubs are not just where yahoo-yahoo boys go to spend their ill-gotten wealth but in fact a lot of those places are avenues to carry out illicit money laundering activities.
He went on to list other businesses to include: property or realtors, car shops, hotels, music labels, etc. After he published the allegation, all hell was let loose. The social media became a hot place with people weighing in for or against. In fact, some who were against his support for the raid by EFCC rained curses on him. One even went as far as calling him a snitch. Earlier than this controversy, Falz the lawyer turned rapper and actor had questioned why some Nigerian find it interesting to glorify fraud and drugs. He was angry that his fellow entertainers could indulge in things that could endanger the future of young Nigerians by making yahoo-yahoo sound like a good thing. Then, he too was condemned by a section of the public.
The above scenarios paint a horrible picture of us as a country. We have somehow found a way to patronise people who have turned themselves into fraudsters by nit just condoning their illegality but even celebrating them. We do not realise the damage we do to the moral fabric of the country. But the point really is that this has been long in coming. We just pretended that all is well. Like we always do, yahoo-yahoo has come to become part of our culture. There is hardly any major town or city you go to in the southern and north central part of this country that you do not notice the prevalence of young people who are busy with scam. They are students who hardly attend classes but live in hotels; they are young people who dropped out of school to partake in the “business” of scam.
Yahoo-yahoo boys are no longer ashamed. They are proud of their craft. Who wouldn’t when they have trophies to show for their hustle? Trophies like exotic cars, well furnished houses, designer clothing, land, extravagant lifestyle in hotels, etc. come to think of it, yahoo-yahoo boys have made hotel business very lucrative. They live and work in these hotels for as long as they want, eat in them and drink choice drinks. They live in hotels not necessarily because they like to waste the fraudulent money they make; they do it as part of surviving security trail. Living in hotels means they can easily consult among themselves in case they have any issue. It also gives them opportunity to maneuver should there be a security concern. Then of course, staying in hotels denies hostile family and friends the opportunity to pile too much pressure.
Incidentally, security operatives know this truth. Police know who yahoo-yahoo boys are. They feed off them and even provide intelligence for them. Regular police give them “intelligence” of an impending raid. They know them to the extent that they are put on regular “protection” fee. A regular yahoo boy can only be disturbed if police feel the boy hasn’t been paying and do not care. Of course, these sorts of boys are regularly busted by police either on the road or in their hide outs. Yahoo boys target mostly foreigners. They tell all manner of stories to engage with their victim (maga). They also hack into random accounts abroad to pay for goods like expensive mobile phones and computers (for example). When these goods arrive Nigeria, they are sold off. You can imagine when [ an individual orders for 15 pieces of iphone 8! That’s a lot of money.
The thing is that both the postal agencies and security official know about this trade. Yet do almost nothing about it. And that’s where the problem lies. How did we build a society where bad is tolerated. How did we arrive at this point where people no longer frown at negative activities that portray the country in bad light? Even at family level, I am aware of how families rationalise this scam. They condone it. Pastors pray for scammers and pretend that all is well. How did we end up as a society that glorifies money so much we do not take hard work and honesty as virtues anymore? It is probably the same way we rationalise politicians who steal our money or parents who arrange special marks and centres for their wards when they sit for examinations like JAMB or WAEC.
This society is satisfied with any kind of reward. We don’t care anymore. We just accept anybody so long as there is some form of reward from whatever the person has done. Even ritual killers are accepted. We only cry crocodile tears if the person is caught.
We are just impossible people, yet want good roads, electricity, pipe borne water, etc. forgetting that the politician that we protect when he or she is caught as a result of corruption, most likely would have used money to fix our hospitals for his “empowerment” of which we are beneficiaries. That is what yahoo-yahoo is too. A good business with a foreigner which would have ticked will be called off just because you are a Nigerian. A yahoo boy got there before you. And all trust is gone. We are a flash in the pan people. That is why young ladies also run all over these boys. Instead of going with a normal career minded person, they opt for the scammer. One thing is sure; no scammer in Nigeria is as rich as Aliko Dangote!
