I got to know about Leke Alder at "The Platform" 2011, since then I've always listened whenever he talks, check this out

Nigeria’s Yahoo Yahoo image is killing her economy. Things are spiralling out of control and sociological wreckage is being wrought. It has often been said that Nigerians are not loyal to their country and that they badmouth their nation. With this premise, the Department of National Orientation has run programmes to inculcate patriotism in citizens and direct the youths. The results are not empirical.

Nigeria has a very bad image abroad. When a nation has a bad reputation, there will be collateral damage and the first casualty is patriotism. Because a bad national image casts a dark halo on the citizens, they will not want to identify with their country. The image subtracts from their intrinsic worth. They are thus forced to rely on their personal equity in different situations and they soon begin to question the value of their country to them.

Our national identity cannot augment our valuation as Nigerians because of the negative reputation of our fatherland. This is because our primary output as a nation is apparently advance fee fraud, not oil; our systems and institutions are deemed malfunctioning and corrupt. Our passport is thus a liability at customs checkpoints and the innocent are banded with criminals.

This generalisation takes a toll on patriotic sentiments. Citizens don’t idolise a nation that subtracts from their worth, or shuts the door of opportunity against them, or makes them a pariah at international borders. And when a Nigerian succeeds, he feels he did it by himself and despite his country. Thus, he owes his nation no allegiance.

Are we by this article justifying lack of patriotism? Of course not! Nigeria suffers from four image afflictions (in my line of work we call them ‘brand eroders’). They are corruption, online credit card fraud (cybercrime), fundamentalist terrorism and kidnapping. These constitute the ordinance against the country.

The four can be broadly categorised into two classes — the violent class and the economic class. Kidnapping and fundamentalist terrorism belong to the violent class. They tend to play grandly on the national stage; but cybercrime is the most democratised of all. It is a huge retail enterprise, precisely because the barrier to entry is low. A cyber criminal can run his operations entirely from a business centre. Anyone with a modem and a computer, or smartphone can launch into business. And it has gone industrial. There are now cybercrime factories — rows and rows of young men and women in huge spaces, dedicated to online criminal pursuit on computer notebooks.

The damage to the nation has been incalculable. The problem with cybercrime is that while other crimes are domiciled within Nigerian borders, cybercrime is a global phenomenon. We are systematically being shut out of the global economic system because of the activities of these aberrant cyberpreneurs. Today, Nigeria is not listed on the drop down menu of Paypal, the global online payment platform. Neither can we shop on Macy’s, Target, J.C. Penney and Marks & Spencer, to name a few. We can’t even buy antivirus software for our computers. Kaspersky shut us out. We are suffering from economic blockade, not unlike Iran; it’s just that ours is the market-driven variety. If truth be told, a 419er is an economic terrorist. He is waging an economic war against his country.

Our young men and women cannot access cheap finance through credit cards for their business start-ups. Even our debit cards are not accepted by international merchants! Once the transaction originates from Nigeria, a virtual steel door clamps down. Those who take the risk of online transactions from Nigeria put us through such strenuous processes it defeats the very purpose of online purchase. And our internet transactions are being routed through South Africa, with the attendant consequences on national sovereignty.

The elites have found a way round the credit card blockade. They simply travel abroad and use a foreign merchant card. They take care of themselves, but how myopic!

For one, the youths will become more desperate and take ever more unwholesome routes in pursuit of opportunities; our negative image is thus reinforced by an army of disenfranchised youths. Two, they will hate those that are privileged and their sense of rage will morph into other criminal activities against the privileged. Three, they will lose faith in the maternal instincts of the nation, after all, the nation is not helping them. Four, as those who succeed by devious means flaunt their ill-gotten wealth and invariably take up the political positions they bought with their loot, a signal is sent into the generational pool that ‘making it’ through criminal device is the way to go. Five, the youths will become a dangerous arsenal in the hands of the wrong commander-in-chief. When you extinguish hope, there is nothing left. Six, crime becomes normative, expected and required. It becomes an affirmation of basic humanity.

What should be done? How can we redeem our image and remedy the situation?

[b]We need a four-pronged strategy: eliminate, repair, discourage, prevent.

We must eliminate cybercrime factories. Government must erect an equivalent anti-cybercrime factory full of hackers, trackers and servers to fight online criminal pursuit. It is a national security risk. And by the way, setting up this factory will provide employment to many of our computer science graduates. If we are serious, we should see a major drop in cybercrime within nine months.

We must also activate a discouragement strategy. First we must pass the cybercrime bill before our legislators. We must prosecute criminals under the law and make an example of cyber criminals. With the passage of the law, we signal to the international community that we are serious about curtailing cybercrime.

Our repair strategy dictates that we mend our relationship with the international merchant community. We need to undertake economic diplomacy. The amount Nigerians spend abroad annually gives us economic clout. It can be leveraged.

But prevention is always cheaper than cure. We need to re-orientate our youths and create opportunities for them.

In addition, our school curricula must reflect our realities. We need to teach our kids to create jobs rather than waiting for jobs.

Religious organisations have a role to play too. Government must partner with them.

And parents have a role to play too. As do our teachers. We must be worthy examples to our children.

Society is dynamic. We will never reach a point in which cybercrime is non-existent. The image of nations is not defined by the absence of negatives. It is determined by the positive exertions of its government and citizens.[/b]

Leke Alder is a brand strategy consultant.

source : http://www.ynaija.com/leke-alder-nigerias-yahoo-yahoo-image/

afam4eva: I agree with Mr lele Alder 100%. We have an online terrorist that don't seem to be getting any attention unlike bokoharam. The fraudulent nature of yahoo-yahoo boys has made it difficult for genuine online business people.

but u cant just judge like that cos our leaders take a chunk of our money Somewhere and somehow, we are realising it . Take it or leave it, the youth practising yahoo, celebs pushing drugs and our leaders embezzling money will never end until a revolutionary purge occurs in nigeria! On a more serious note, i dont support yahoo yahoo!

the leaders embezzle, the masses find a way out like yahoo yahoo, robbery and even drugs. the Lucky ones get rich and others want to follow.The leaders need to act by example so the masses can be motivated to act right too. Saying the masses should change first while the leaders loot abundantly will never work

pheesayor: the leaders embezzle, the masses find a way out like yahoo yahoo, robbery and even drugs. the Lucky ones get rich and others want to follow.The leaders need to act by example so the masses can be motivated to act right too. Saying the masses should change first while the leaders loot abundantly will never work

gbam!!! you hit the bull's eye bro!!

It's a shame such an insightful article like this won't make the front page

Hmmm...

pheesayor: It's a shame such an insightful article like this won't make the front page

i wonder where the mods are!

Leke Alder should be one to talk.. he should talk about the Ministry of Education's website his company built in 4 phases (2006) and the kick-backs

but yes, Yahoo-yahoo has inevitably created a Nigerian image that dwarfs all the positives any Nigerian anywhere in the world can ever present. We are simply seen as a nation of corrupt, tardy, lazy and dishonest people. "generally"

i would have preferred a rather brief article..next pls.

They should all STFU !!! Before I give somebody called leke a backhand slap...
Is it only nigeria internet scams are perpetuated .. Our is petty due to neglect .of youthful orientation in a country like naija, so why won't young folks use the little idea they have to survive - remember the mantra of this world is - how to survive
Leke alder nigerias problem is not yahoo yahoo its our currupt leaders ok yahoo yahoo case its minimal and easy to solve -
Efcc and the rest should tell us truth about money recovered from politicians and why tafa balogun cecilia and bode george even bankole were not stated ..

Someone should summarize this topic for me pls? Who is Leke Alder and who/what is yahoo-yahoo? Are they related?

Yahoo Yahoo is bad and not good for the nation's image but you should first of all ask yourself if not for this so called yahoo yahoo what would the young ones be doing? Have you ever imagined the rate of robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and other crimes that these young ones would turn to if not for yahoo yahoo? There are no jobs, the environment is not conducive for business and the entrepreneurs among them are not supported by the government, what else do you want them to do? Sit down and wait for God's time? This country is doomed and i can confidently tell you that more than 50 percent of those young ones are into internet fraud and scam just because it is a necessary evil. I rather do yahoo yahoo than carry guns and kidnap or rob. Create jobs for them and they would gladly accept it. Offer to fund their ideas and they would implement it. The country hard my guy. Let the government start the purging from their end and sanitize the system, create jobs and make the environment conducive and this internet whatsoever would reduce. Nigerians are not lazy, give them an opportunity and they would shine. It is very easy to condemn it when you can eat two square meals a day but my guy, hunger is real and boys are not smiling.

They view us all as 'Nigeria',not IGBO or YORUBA.. While some silly people come to blame other tribes... I sorry 4 sum pple

Mr leke or whatever he calls himself should STFU. Many variations of scams and schemes have been in existence before the advent of the Internet, but have grown in number with the popularity of online shopping and other types of e-commerce. Internet fraudsters use email, online chat, forums or fake websites to deceive people. Curbing crime in Nigeria will stop when JUSTICE starts from the politicians laundering money into foreign accounts and suffering the masses.

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vic2ry: i would have preferred a rather brief article..next pls.

Because lazy heads like you detest reading, so every sensible article/ write up should be limited to just few lines, even if all the points are salient. Wake up lad, the world will not continue to celebrate mediocrity for ever.
You should spend more time on those gossip blogs, not NL, as you hate to read sensible write-ups.

boss-boss:
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Because lazy heads like you detest reading, so every sensible article/ write up should be limited to just few lines, even if all the points are salient. Wake up lad, the world will not continue to celebrate mediocrity for ever.
You should spend more time on those gossip blogs, not NL, as you hate to read sensible write-ups.

Help me tell am

pheesayor: the leaders embezzle, the masses find a way out like yahoo yahoo, robbery and even drugs. the Lucky ones get rich and others want to follow.The leaders need to act by example so the masses can be motivated to act right too. Saying the masses should change first while the leaders loot abundantly will never work

So far this comment has the highest like confirming the Nigerian fraud status. Some people that come here practice it anfd and they excuse their consciences by blaming the government as the cause. What we fail to know is that our leaders are not imported. They come from within us. A bad people and system will always throw up a corrupt result apologies to Jesus. Let's repair our ends and start frowning at evil and the leadership will naturally take care of itself. Stop waiting for govt/leaders to change before you change or do sometn to stop evil in your society

pheesayor: the leaders embezzle, the masses find a way out like yahoo yahoo, robbery and even drugs. the Lucky ones get rich and others want to follow.The leaders need to act by example so the masses can be motivated to act right too. Saying the masses should change first while the leaders loot abundantly will never work

So far this comment has the highest like confirming the Nigerian fraud status. Some people that come here practice it and and they excuse their consciences by blaming the government as the cause. What we fail to know is that our leaders are not imported. They come from within us. A bad people and system will always throw up a corrupt result apologies to Jesus. Let's repair our ends and start frowning at evil and the leadership will naturally take care of itself. Stop waiting for govt/leaders to change before you change or do sometn to stop evil in your society

Whoever this guy is, I wanna say he got it right to a reasonable large point.
I operated a Cafe one time and I can tell you categorically, of kids at age 13 running the game.
In as much we would parental upbringing in some few cases I observed, Leadership in the country is nothing to talk about.
The youths we talk about require some level of total mind re-org, as well as 100% re-orientation. But how will you tell a young guy not to steal or do Yahoo and he reads everyday about corruption in the highest order.
Pls note also here that this Yahoo Yahoo of a game has fully engaged a large populace of the youths thereby reducing crime and robbery cases but the adverse effect in the long run is also a big issue.
It goes a long way than writing of articles about this, the yahoo boys can all read this 1million times and it wouldn't change their perception to it.

Another uneducated Nigerian exhibiting pseudo-intellectualism...

Nigeria's image problem stems from corruption - it's more of a top-down thing...

Stop chasing shadows - eliminate corruption and the thieving politicians, and you should be able to salvage the monsters they created!

ON POINT!!! ATLEAST WE NO GO RUB>> GET RICH OR DIE TRYING!
THE NIGERIAN INTERNET FRAUDSTERS HAVE REALLY TURNED THE THE INTERNET A HELL DOM FOR GENUINE USERS BUT WE HOPE FOR A BETTER NATION SOMEDAYS

A'int that an opportunity in disguise for smart enterpreneurs? I mean who needs J.C Penny or Amazon and the likes when you could actually market perfumes and sunglasses on Nairaland topics? I hate to say this to the Popular Leke Adler, but sir, talk is very cheap. If the global online businesses finally get to realise how much they've lost in terms of population as Nigeria's strength, then they will soon weep. Afterall, we have Google, Nokia, Blackberry and now lately.. Apple. Others may soon join in, I believe.

IMHO, the Nigerian problem is a leadership problem.

Additionally, Fela has said it many years ago, we as a nation, have become accustomed to surfering and smiling.

We idolize theives and lambast good minded people.

We are just reaping the rewards of our yesteryears.

Anytime I read about DUbai, UAE, etc I cry inside a little. Nigeria should be like them too.

Mr Alder, you are honestly very right to a point. Your highlights on the major 4 problems of Nigeria is clear, but your focus is skewed towards to the youth doing cyber crime. Cyber crime is bad; no doubt. Let the leaders who are looting the treasury desist from looting. All their loots combined together can save the current situation of Nigeria. Our politicians are thieves, who are so greedy stealing monies they can not finish in their life time. Lets talk about policing. How many police chopper squad do we have in Nigeria. How are we protecting the lives and properties of our citizens. How much are the police paid? what is the working conditions of the Nigeria police. Our roads is so poor, this is an open truth. The job opportunities are very few. Nigeria is a great country but filled with selfish leaders who lack focus or have so much empty brain. They find it hard to focus on a problem at a time and place a fix to it.

On a lighter note, my colleague at work tells me Nigerians are smart people because of the scam e-mails he receives.

Our problem in this nation is the so called intellectuals. We have so many analysts, but a lot of them a just paper tigers.
He didn't even make emphasies on the corrupt govt officials. Does he know how much money has been looted so far? IBB was just acquitted of $12b dollars Gulf oil.
The most buoyant countries in the world get help from the govt. Before you can talk of private sector, the govt should put some necessary amenities in place.
With all the oil and natural resources, fertile land, tourist sites and the likes, there's still unemployment. Isn't there something wrong?
Yet in this same country, we have 200 jet owners.
Any way, Alder is speaking for the elite though he made good points.

[size=16pt]abeg make we hear another thing jooor.. na today?
our naija problem is like those mythical demons with many heads. if you cut one, ten would grow to replace.
the way i see it, yahoo has evolved into an encouraging venture for most of these youth.
firstly, you dont need certificate or age limit and years of experience to get involved in the crime.. yes it is a crime
but what do you get when you go to school?
age limit to get a job.
serve fatherland with danger of boko-haram and get peanuts per month
your level of intelligence is often neglected,
they offer graduate level jobs but they need you to have 5 years cognate experience,
so why wouldn't these adventurous youth run to the one that welcomes them with open arms and where their
level of intelligence is an asset? eh?
it is bad oh because it has done great damage to our name on the internet and business as a whole but
look around, there are no role models to follow.
what do you do when your daddy is always bringing home women and smoking in the house and he tells you not to smoke and Furrk. LMAO.[/size]

speechless................