Thread by @TundeTASH

The ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ menace in Nigeria.

A result of our system or a product of greed?

Thread.

To start, this thread seeks to analyse the opposing ideologies of why some Nigerian youths go into becoming ‘yahoo-yahoo’ fraudsters.

Also, my point of view in this whole discussion.

Please, you are welcome to participate.

For those who do not know, ‘Yahoo-Yahoo (aka Nigerian Prince)' is a name given to someone involved in an advance fee scheme where he lures a victim to pay money in anticipation of receiving something of greater value.

Eventually, the victim receives little or nothing in return.

Opposing the idea that Yahoo-Yahoo is a result of our system:

Some argue that people who go into these acts do so due to high unemployment rate. Hence, they need a means to survive as the ‘government’ has failed them.

They even justify it and use it as means of subtle protest.

Forgive my Yoruba but all that is bullshit. Igbe Malu to the highest.

Do you know on average a newbie ‘yahoo-yahoo’ person spends an average of 12 hours a day on his laptop scheming victims?

12 hours a day is equivalent to 84 hours a week.

Do you also know that to achieve world-class status in any field, you only need to practice the craft the right way for only 10,000 hours?

This is equivalent to 59.5 weeks. This means in about 13 – 14 months you become a guru.

Recall that a yahoo-yahoo even puts in extra hours.

With the new age of internet and technology, there are loads of things you can learn by yourself like programming, coding, graphic design, digital marketing, google analytics, web development, excel etc.

With positive input of 40 hrs/wk, which isn’t even up to the 84 hrs/wk a ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ person puts in, you can place yourself for opportunities.

Do you know people cash-in legit on remote jobs without moving an inch from their homes because they have mastered a skill over time?

This is where it gets interesting and to buttress the fact that, Yahoo-Yahoo isn’t a result of the state of the nation.

In May 2017, two Nigerian fraudsters were arrested in Toronto for a $10 million fraud ring.

Now, how do you argue that these folks who are in Toronto, a city with employment rate of 62.6% and an average pay of $23.21/hr to $51.24 go into Yahoo-Yahoo because they are in a bad system.

I am patiently waiting for you to argue this.

I don’t even want to go into details of how every non-Nigerian I knew and worked with asked me if I knew the guys that were arrested.

That’s story is for anther day.

Also, an average Yahoo-Yahoo boy spends more on powering generators than most people would.

Now, do you know what having more power means to someone who is a developer in Nigeria? Or someone who builds a software? Or what it means to a graphic designer?

In 2015 Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi founded Paystack in Nigeria.

The first start-up from Nigeria to enter Y Combinator. I can bet you that these folks did not have the amount of constant electricity an average Yahoo-Yahoo boy has, but did they turn to fraud?

No.

On the issue of greed:

The typical Yahoo-Yahoo doesn’t use the money earned to send him self to school. Doesn’t use it to earn a certification, get an MBA or Masters. Doesn’t use it for vocational school.

You argue that you go into because the government doesn’t provide jobs..

Yet you scam, get money and don’t equip yourself with skills to get a legit job.

Rather you'd club to spend ridiculous amount on champagne, or buy expensive phones where you can take pictures & use the ‘yahoo-yahoo’ filter: the one where everything looks ridiculously colourful.

Or maybe, buy expensive cars to flaunt on social media so you could increase your notification count or score a rivalry point of oh ‘I have arrived’.

The most conscience lobbying excuse is when they say, I worked this hard, so I could buy a car/house for my mother.

Woe betide me the day I buy something without being able to account for how the money came by if I was asked.

Also you need to know that Nigeria isn’t the only country involved in ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’. In fact, it did not originate there. A study in 2006 showed that 61% of internet criminals were traced to United States, while 16% were traced to the United Kingdom, and 6% to Nigeria.

6%??? That’s like a small bite from a huge cake, but the world will not amplify cases of fraud when it involves North America, Europe or other continents.

But when it comes from Africa or most importantly Nigeria, then they will blow the vuvuzela like no tomorrow.

This brings about the importance of enhancing our image in and outside the country always using our media.

But again, another topic for another day.

Now, to buttress the point that it is simply greed & an act of theft nothing else.

Other nations known to have a high incidence of advance-fee fraud include: Ivory Coast, Togo, South Africa, Netherlands, Spain, Poland and Jamaica.

Spain and Poland? Okay bad systems too?

Finally, to the ignorant ones saying they are doing it because of slavery. Please just shove your stinking utterances to where they came from.

You know absolutely nothing about slavery and theft isn't a way to payback. Never is, and never will.