₦airaland Forum

ICTNEWS:
OPEN LETTER BY
Kustomers NG

Job scams or misleading job notices often posted on recruitment websites and pasted on street walls are not new, it's a trend that has been in existence for years, however, we do believe that this act is purnishable under the law, and whoever is caught in such act should face the law in full force.



Such as it relates to Golden Neo-life Diamite International


We Want a Temporal Suspension of GNLD's Operations in Nigeria For These Reasons
Golden Neo-life Diamond International known simply as "Neo-Life" or popularly referred to as GNLD is a company that sells nutritional healthcare products and natural health supplements. These products are geared towards solving health issues like weight loss, aging, heart issues, stress management, etc.

It was founded in 1958 by Jerry Brassfield who currently serves as the Chairman of the company.

The company adopts a network marketing model i.e a pyramid selling model to sell its products. This means that its agents and representatives have to recruit more agents under them to build their network and increase their point values.

It also helps them earn more and scale up the different levels set by the company- a strategic approach to keep people motivated and to increase profits.



PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
The reason Neo-life is on our radar is because of its method of operation in the Nigerian job seekers market.

The concept adopted by Golden Neo-life's agents/super agents are deceiving unsuspecting individuals into joining their business by placing false ads and fake job offers in various places, using different formats.

We believe network marketing shouldn't be advertised as a job opportunity to the public and nobody should be deceived into it. It is a lifestyle business and should be a path taken only by choice and not because of deceptions/lies.

Golden Neo-life Diamond International (GNLD)
As earlier mentioned, it is a network marketing company that sells nutritional supplements. It is active in various countries including Nigeria.

It works like this:

Agents are recruited to sell Neo-life products and each agent has to recruit other people to earn points and move step up on the rewards levels. This levels are grouped into Ruby, Sapphire, General, Diamond, etc.

For example, if you are an agent and you recruit 5 people under you, you earn points for the sales those 5 agents make. As these agents recruit more people, your total points continue to increase. This boosts your chances of earning higher commissions and you move to a higher level in the company.

To move up these levels, Neo-life agents need to convince other people to buy their supplements which are very expensive and also recruit more people to join them.

Just like any network marketing company, there is a lot of pressure on Neo-life agents to meet a certain monthly point value or target.

In Nigeria, most people who have ever heard about the company are ordinary job seekers, mostly youths who are looking for an average paying job or just a good job opportunity, not some network marketing scheme.

However, when most of these people get to the supposed company's premises/location, they are met with a different story entirely.



GNLD MARKETING PRACTICES IN NIGERIA
GNLD or Neo-life's way of marketing is built on deception and lies. Many job seekers in Nigeria have been lured with fake job posters, misrepresentations and fake promises to Neo-life premises and locations where they are now brainwashed into joining the Neo-life team.

A former Neo-life agent recounts how she applied for a job as an usher based on an advertisement she saw only to get there and realize it was to join Neo-life as an agent.



How Do These Super Agents Lure Unsuspecting Job Seekers?
1. Placement of fake job vacancy posters on streets-

On most city highways, especially in Lagos, you'll find posters and hand written graffiti on walls with messages that states that there are various job openings with good and too good to be true high wages.

Imagine a poster that says you will earn #100,000 for a job in a factory!

This can be very tempting especially in this economy, this has led many unsuspecting job seekers to visit the company without doing their research only to realize it was to join a pyramid marketing business.

On many walls in major cities, you would often see posters like, “sales girl- 40k”, “Security- 35k,” “Computer Operator - 35k.”, etc.

But when you get to the location, you realize it is totally different from what is on the job posters. This is a very deceptive act.

2. Fake online ads on Facebook and other social media-
There have been many cases of "Job Opportunity" ads on Facebook and other social media platforms that directs people to a page where people are told that they have qualified for an interview and that they should come to their office for the interview.

On getting there, the story turns out differently - It ends up being the Neo-life office or training center for new recruits.

What is worse is that many of these job seekers are forced to register as down-lines, which would cost between NGN4000-7500 if not more!

A former Neo-life agent even said that he paid #20000 as a registration fee!

4. False job descriptions and conditions-

Neo-life job posters do not usually specify what the job is all about.

Instead, they make unreasonable promises to victims like opportunities to travel to London, France and Dubai and showing of probably fake pictures of people who have travelled there through the Neo-life network marketing company, etc. They show you pictures of people with cars, large checks, etc.

What they don't mention is the amount of work and trekking you will do; the hunger and thirst you will endure in trying to sell their expensive products.

You might even have to buy the products yourself to meet the company's monthly sales targets and to get some little profits to sustain yourself.

4. Organizing events/seminars to promote unrealistic opportunities-

Neo-life agents even organize seminars and events that promises people unrealistic opportunities like earning millions in 2 months, etc. They go to rural areas to recruit unsuspecting victims who end up registering with their hard-earned money.

These people would innocently sign up only to realize they have been deceived.

5. Using friends and loved ones to trick others-



A lot of job seekers and even people with good jobs have left their work to become a Neo-life agent. There are many stories of people who left their states like Ibadan to go to Lagos due to the promises made by these Neo-life agents. The end result is disappointment.



CONSEQUENCES OF NEO-LIFE OR GNLD PRACTICES
1. Emotional and Physical Stress on Recruits-

Job seekers who are recruited face a lot of pressure to meet the target or points value given to them. As a former Neo-life agent said, "We had to meet certain points to upgrade. It was really difficult to step up."

Even the physical stress involved is not a joke. Agents have been known to trek long-distances under terrible weather conditions just to meet their target. Some have struggled to even eat and had to beg other people for help.

"I could walk from Ilorin to Ibadan then. All my shoes, sandals, and clothes became rags. I learnt how to beg keke (commercial tricycles) or cab riders to help me.": A former Neo-life agent said.

They always emphasize that you're your own boss. But then, you'll need to keep in mind even while asleep that your monthly target or point value is at stake if you don't work hard to sell the products.

If this constant pressure and worry is what it means to be a boss, then something isn't right!

Imagine the emotional stress, physical stress and periodic depression you will face constantly!

2. Financial burden-

Many Neo-life agents don't even earn enough money to cover their bills despite their stressful and time-consuming work (which they were not told about from the beginning).

Many have had to live off friends, family members just to survive.

3. Exploitation of vulnerable individuals-

A lot of job seekers have been scammed or swindled by Neo-life agents. Some have had to pay exorbitant registration fees ranging from #5000 to #150,0000.

Imagine looking for a job and being asked to pay a registration fee of 150k.

There are stories of people who have put their school fees and savings into this only to realize later on that they have been scammed.

The pressure to meet sales target and maintain points have even driven female Neo-life agents to offer sexual acts for people to buy their products.

According to a female Neo-life agent ' Some of us slept with big men so as to sell their supplements and earn points to step up or maintain their level or money."

This is an unfortunate result of deceiving people into a business they know nothing about.

4. Risk of kidnapping and death-

Neo-life agents have to trek and walk long-distances even to unfamiliar places just to sell their products. There have been stories about people who were nearly kidnapped or killed in a bid to sell Neo-life products and meet their target.



What Does the Nigerian Law Say?
According to section 7 of the Nigerian Labour Act, a worker should have a written statement that specifies the rate, manner and period of payment of his salary.

Section 15 of the same act also provides that “wages shall become due and payable at the end of each period for which the contract is expressed to subsist, that is to say, daily, weekly or at such other periods as may be agreed upon.”

Unfortunately, this laws are not being enforced in Nigeria or are not effective enough and this has made it easy for MLMs like Neo-life to easily deceive job seekers with false job posters, interviews and conditions.

According to Samuel Atiku, a development economist for the International Budget Partnership, “The standard practice is that there must be clarity in the job description before you can engage job seekers for employment, but those MLMs parading themselves as recruitment agencies are doing otherwise, which is illegal.

In other countries, such as Ghana, this is punishable. But Nigeria is not prosecuting this.”

Although we have laws against false misrepresentations of job offers and job conditions in Nigeria, nothing much had been done in this regard.



Suspend GNLD's Operations in Nigeria.

We do not doubt that one can make good money through network marketing

As Titilope, a country representative of Angelo, a Chinese product network company said about network marketing, “… I make money while sleeping, eating, and brushing. I make money every time."

We also do not doubt that Neo-life is a legitimate company. We are not even delving into the cost of Neo-life products which many Nigerians cannot afford.

What we are concerned about is, why trick Nigerians into the business? Why must Neo-life use tricks and deceptive practices to deceive people into thinking it is a conventional job?

Why not come out straight and let people know what it is actually about?

As mentioned earlier, network marketing should be by choice, because it is a lifestyle business model. It is not a conventional job that should be advertised or shadowed as one. The Nigeria job market is undeniably tough, and while some have stumbled on network marketing during their search and took it up and even succeeded at it, it shouldn't be disguised as a conventional job.

Why must Nigerian job seekers be lied to and even deceived of their hard earned money?

A lot of people even go to the disguised Neo-life job interviews with their CV and writing materials only to be told they have to pay fees and recruit other people to it.

What does this mean? This means these people thought it was a job only to find that it is a network marketing business and they even have to pay a registration fee.

So we ask?

Shouldn't the Nigerian government or any other affected country suspend the activities of Neo-life till they're able to address this problem from within?

It is time for the Nigerian Government to take immediate steps to protect Nigerian job seekers from fake job offers and other deceptive practices of Neo-life agents.

Suspending Neo-life/GNLD’s activities in Nigeria is the first step towards achieving this goal.


Kindly support this motion by droping your comments on the kustomers blog page where the petition hasbeen officially published.
https://www.kustomers.com.ng/2024/11/open-letter-we-want-temporal-suspension.html

adeoyekay:
You really spoke well sir
I could remember, I was once deceived by these people years back

Nairaland mods should take this to front page

angelboy01:
This people don trick me before, telling before the year ends I will buy Benz. It was my mom that knocked sense into my head. Fake azz company.

ICTNEWS:
Seun Osewa and other active mods should help us push this to FP
Thanks!