The Internet is crawling with messages like the one above. Ninety percent of those messages are usually brushed aside as scam and forgotten in the same moment they are received. In Nigeria, many of us believe these scams have diabolical connections, so it easy to understand why some of us never get past the first few lines of those messages let-alone send a reply. When you are living in a community riddled with stories of ” touch and follow”, “stolen private parts”, “419” and “good luck bandits” in a twisted sort of way it’s only rational that your mind could become paranoid when faced with strangers in need; even when those faces are harmless avatars on the profiles of a social media network.
Occasionally, I wonder about the number of persons who – after exploring every other option their pride could permit to change a troubling situation – resort to social media networks to seek help, only to be met with cold shoulders because their troubling situation did not have the good fortune to trend on twitter.
A few days ago, a young man; David James Jay, circulated an emotional letter on Facebook and Twitter about his personal struggles. I found two things interesting about his story, namely; his need and the reaction of the public to his situation.
Concerning his need; David isn’t dying of Ebola, his sister isn’t one of the missing girls and there is nothing wrong with his kidney. He is simply a computer science student who needs ten thousand naira (N10,000) to complete his savings to buy a computer in order to make the most of his university education. Perhaps the concept of a workman in need of work tools is not as emotionally persuasive as a story of rape or starving children. And this could explain why no one (except Don Jazzy who recently sent James the sum of thirty thousand Naira) batted an eyelid to the young man’s tragic tale which in many ways is symbolic of the Nigerian situation today; a rising case of half baked professionals and students with no access to proper learning resources, gearing up to manage an economy that aims to compete actively on the global stage.


Full story + more pictures - http://www.remspot.com.ng/2014/10/gods-blessing-donjazzy-helps-boy-in.html

Its nothiiiiing.