Deceit comes in different shades, colours and sizes. Sometimes it comes glaringly, other times it doesn't come so clearly. Nigerians are known to be very superstitious and in this nature, they are extremely religious. However, some notable events have indeed taken its toll on a lot of Nigerians who were led astray by false information and ignorance. As anticipated, factboyz brings to you 10 Times Nigerians were deceived in a large scale. We do hope you enjoy our list.
1. MMM-
The ponzi scheme was introduced in Nigeria in 2016 after massive successes in other countries. When it was introduced, many Nigerians as expected never took it serious not until testimonies of people who became instantly rich started flooding in that Nigerians began to invest- little by little. Within months, many Nigerians began to heavily on the scheme. The Central Bank of Nigeria immediately took action warning Nigerians about teh dnager of the scheme but it all fell on deaf ears.
Financial Analysts also warned about the imminent collapse of the scheme; but most Nigerians saw it as a distraction by the elites in ensuring that they remain poor as most Nigerians are poor. The frenzy created by the scheme made many University students invest their school feeswith the hope of a 30% increase in returns at the end of the month. Some CEOs used the salaries of their workers with the hope of paying back; after making much profit. The religious atmosphere was not left out as some pastors and clerics invested their assets to also gain too.
The sad times began when the official website declared it will close for sometime for "maintenance purposes" When it finally reopened, the majority of investors were waiting to be paid; and with the tensed up atmosphere nobody was willing to invest; leading to a breakdown of the scheme. The aftermath was devastating as suicides increased due to debts, same with massive widespread anger and sorrow. The sole brain behind the Scheme fled the country.
2. Yar'Adua's Death-
The former beloved President of Nigeria His Excellency Umaru Musa Yar'Adua remains one of the most loved President of Nigeria. He gained power in 2007 but unfortunately died in 2011, leaving the then Vice President then Dr Goodluck Jonathan to take over. His death however had many stories surrounding it.
While terminally sick, he was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment; but rumour round the country had it that he had died, though a few maintained he was on life support. The rumour spread quickly that the president was already dead. When President Yar'Adua finally returned to Nigeria, on the 24th of February, the lighting of the Airport was switched off; increasing the rumour already prevalent in the communication airwaves that he had already died.
He finally died on the 5th of May 2010 at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. Most Nigerians still hold him in high regard.
3. The Abacha Apple-
Sani Abacha was the former military ruler of Nigeria; ruling from 1993 to 1998. Though regarded by the international media as a dictator, Sani Abacha's rule saw the country's foreign exchange reserves increase from 494 million dollars to about 10 billion dollars by the middle of 1997.
His death just like Yar'Adua's own is clouded in a web of controversies. He was buried the same day according to Islamic rites without an autopsy. The official statement by the government ruled his death as a heart attack. However most Nigerians do not buy the story. It is thought that prior to his death he had been in the company of some ladies who poisoned his apple with a poisonous substance, making him feel unwell.
We do not know for sure what killed him; maybe Nigerians are deceived!
4. Buhari's Campaign Promises-
In 2015 the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari made juicy campaign promises that pleased the minds of most Nigerians eventually leading many to vote for him.
Except for a slight improvement in railway services in Nigeria, others have never been actualized. When he finally won the election, he was greeted with massive support from all around the country but as the years began to unfold, his support began to dwindle.
Nigerians never had 24 hours electricity, government officials continued travelling abroad for treatment- himself and his son Yusuf included, the fight against corruption was one sided.
Most Nigerians feel deceived, due to the fact that government do not want to provide quality healthcare back home while they travel where they get better treatment.
5. Government Job Scam-
In 2014, the government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, invited job seekers for job tests aimed at securing jobs (for 4500 people) at the Nigerian Immigration service. These job tests were scheduled to hold in various locations all across the country.
As expected, the youth unemployment prevalent in the country showed it's real face when in Lagos and Abujaalone, about 125,000 people showed up. For jobs meant for 4,500 people nationwide! The exercise failed terribly as some even died due to stampedes in Lagos, Benin, Niger and Port Harcourt. In the chaos, some lost their certificates, while others fainted.
It is widely believed that the 4500 people needed for the job had already been chosen by top ranking government officials. Whether that is true or not remains shrouded in mystery but one thing certain is that most people who showed up never got the jobs.
6. Ebola Virus Scare-
The ebola virus came into Nigeria through a Liberian diplomat Patrick Sawyer in 2014. However we are not going into the details of what happened. We must note that the presence of the virus in Nigeria then, sparked so much rumour; which of course were had so much lies in them. One prominent one was that you had to bath in a very hot, salty water every morning at exactly 6 a.m to prevent getting the virus.
This particular rumour found undue solace in majority of Nigerians considering the fact that most Nigerians are religious; and many did this religiously leading to illness and sickness. Indeed many Nigerians were deceived but I wasn't, my mum was a nurse and when we first heard it she rounded it off as outrageous!
7. Nigerian Air-
First, lets get something straight; Nigeria doesn't have a national carrier which is actually an embarrassment to the country. In Mid 2018, the federal government under President Buhari announced plans to rejuvenate the dead "Nigerian Air'' with immediate effect and instant operations by December.
Most Nigerians rejoiced at the plans, and applauded the government for its insight. However, the government perhaps failed to do proper research, consultations and financial plans for funding leading to the announcement that plans for it has been suspended. The joy of the majority soon became sorrow as Nigerians felt deceived and cheated on. Till now, it has not been resolved.
8. Stephanie Otobo Claims-
Imagine being accused of sleeping with someone you've never even met before; this was the case of Stephanie Otobo who claimed she slept with popular Nigerian Pastor Johnson Suleiman. The case was indeed a heated one, and Nigerians wasted no time in taking sides; the majority joined in accusing the renowned cleric.
However, the truth began to unfold, the mother of the said lady personally approached Pastor Johnson Suleiman to apologize on behalf of her daughter; the Pastor wasted no time in accepting the apologies. After some months of granting interviews where she laid her false claims, she came out to apologize publicly admitting her claims were false. Most Nigerians actually thought it was true.
9. The Jubrin Case-
A popular activist, Nnamdi Kanu known for clamouring for the actualisation of another republic from Nigeria, accused the President His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari of being an impostor; he further claimed that the original Buhari was dead already and was replaced by another person he called "Jubrin Aminu Al Sudaini" His controversial statements with supposed "proofs" indeed caught the hearts of a lot of Nigerians who believed his claims. Suspicion was created when the government did not address the issue for a long time.
This claims even gained the attention of the International Media; Washington Post spoke on the issue. However, after months of deceit, most Nigerians were not fooled again.
10. Political Campaign Promises-
For decades, since the 1960s Nigerian politicians have made numerous campaign promises with many never fulfilled; we will look at 24 hours electricity for an example- Nigeria even till now, cannot boast of 5,000MW of electricity. This is hugely ridiculous considering the fact that there is real money in the country. With regards to electricity, Nigerians have been scammed and deserve better.
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