Internet fraud is a nasty scar on the face of the country.

Irrespective of strides made in entertainment, business and other fields, Internet fraud has given Nigeria a bad reputation of a country filled with scammers scheming on how to trick innocent people into losing their hard-earned cash.

When I was in the US, once I introduce myself as a Nigerian anywhere, I get a deeply disturbing look. I have to spend the next half hour explaining how ‘all Nigerians are not scammers’ and that there are honest Nigerians like me. Foreign firms don’t want to do business with us. Going through security at international Airports is a nightmare. Honest Nigerians are being stereotyped and targeted.

Internet fraud has ruined many lives and families, banishing them into a life of poverty yet, it is extremely lucrative in Nigeria because it allows young people from poor backgrounds to make easy money sitting in front of a computer. To tackle Internet fraud, we need to examine what lures young people into it. They include:

1. Weak moral values
2. Social acceptance of ill-gotten wealth
3. High unemployment
4. Low income
5. Poor living conditions
6. A corrupt government
7. Huge gap between the rich and the poor
    

Though the last 5 points lie mostly with government, the first 2 rest squarely on our shoulders as citizens.

While the EFCC, FBI and other international law enforcement agencies must continue to apprehend Internet fraudsters, our best shot at tackling this menace is a national reorientation of our values.

• It’s time to celebrate honesty and hard work. It’s time to question sudden wealth. It’s time to discard & totally discourage excessive materialism and get rich quick schemes.
• It’s time to remind every young person that ‘blow by any means necessary' is not the Nigerian dream.
• It’s time to inspire our youth to aspire for a good name rather than sudden wealth because #HardWorkPays.

Several Nigerians are making a difference in the world and making clean money because they know #HardWorkPays.

By finding our moral compass and rejecting ill-gotten wealth, I strongly believe we can save current yahoo boys from impending destruction, future yahoo boys from ultimate doom and rescue Nigeria’s tattered image on the global scene.

Sign this petition to promote good values in your community & reject Internet fraud in Nigeria now.