Nigerians world over are perceived by the international community as criminals, no thanks to the activities of cyber criminals in the country.
The nefarious acts of these scammers in no little way has dented the image of the country and is a smear on the integrity of honest and hard working citizens.
In this wise, credit cards of Nigeria descent are rejected in online transactions with foreign countries and this, Sean O’ Hara, director British broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News, said is as a result of country of origin effect.
“Country of origin effect tells you that the country where a person or product comes from affects the perception of the person or brand,” he said.
He said a positive nation’s brand can affect the country positively, noting that the things which lead a country into good international identity are “actually the brands and products produced by companies led by the people.”
The menace of “Yahoo Yahoo,” as it is popularly called is also in anyway not helping matters as the crime is being termed a “profession” among perpetrators of this illegal act.
“Walking into most cybercafés in Nigeria today, one can see clusters of young people gathered around public computers for the purpose of manipulating the powers of technology to defraud others and disturb the desired safety of the internet,’ said Gbenga Sesan, executive director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria.
Apart from the availability and usage of Internet facilities in cyber cafes for scam mails and other cybercrimes, the evolution of fixed wireless facilities in the Nigerian network landscape has added another dimension to the cybercrime problem. Fraudsters who can afford to pay for internet connection via fixed wireless lines can now perpetrate their evil acts within the comfort of their homes.
These among others gave rise to the clamour for a cybercrime free society.
Bashir Gwandu, acting executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has pledged to fight cybercrime to a stand still as this has significantly damaged the country’s image abroad and cannot be allowed to continue.
He expressed concern that the issue of cybercrime and scam mails which emanated from unknown persons and disguised sources claiming to be from top Nigerian institutions have done untold damage to the image of the country.
The acting EVC said the Commission will work on improving Nigeria’s monitoring and investigation skills in a bid to ameliorate its negative impact on the country.
In the same vein, the Microsoft Internet Safety, Security and Privacy Initiative for Nigeria (MISSPIN), a joint effort between Microsoft and Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is one such initiatives aimed at addressing the issue of cybercrime in Nigeria.
The partnership gave birth to a campaign targeted at redirecting the energies of Nigerian youth from cybercrime to more positive online involvement.
“Maga No Need Pay,” is an album put together by nine top Nigerian artistes who dedicated their time and talents to fight the scourge, countering an earlier released album of the glorified crime album- “Maga Don Pay, Shout Halleluyah!,” is part of the MISSPIN initiative targeting the youths to change their perspective on cybercrime.
In providing alternatives to cybercrime, Adeolu Akinyemi, an online internet marketer, said it takes the same skill set as a “Yahoo Yahoo” guy to make it legitimately.
He said this is because the yahoo guys spend more time on the system, follow instructions and persevere for months to get control numbers and wait patiently for the deal to come through.
Akinyemi added that internet marketing and network marketing are ways to make legitimate money on the internet.
But Dr. Jummai Umar- Ajijola, Citizenship Lead, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa said the absence of a legislation to address the crime is a challenge and as a result of this, “the international community view Nigeria as not being serious in wanting to tackle the menace.”
