Mrs Dabiri Erewa, who is the Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has decried the negative effects of cybercrime on the country’s image and that is now being used as a yardstick to judge Nigerians at the global scene.
Mrs Dabiri Erewa reacting to the arrest of Mr Ramoni Igbalode who is popularly known as Hushpuppi for alleged fraud, said the recent arrest of some Nigerians in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates for fraud should not be a yardstick in any way to judge and stereotype Nigerians who are excelling globally.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa in a statement issued by Gabriel Odu of the Media, Public Relations and Protocol Unit, NIDCOM, on Wednesday 8th July 2020, said:
”Nigerians all over the world are known to be hardworking, diligent and determined and succeeding tremendously in their chosen careers wherever they are, Noting that bad news travels fast, the statement referred a Nigerian, Mr Ikenna Nweke who was appreciated and commended by the Japanese govt and the Police for returning a lost wallet with large sums of money and a Credit Card. Yet, it did not make headlines.
Also while the news of Hushpuppy was trending, a Nigerian in Russia Dr Chidubem Obi graduated with a 5.0 GPA cleaning all established records.
She stressed that Nigerians unarguably are the most educated immigrants in the United States and are hard-working, committed, determined and very successful in their career and professions.
According to the Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora, while commending the FBI and the EFCC for tracking and tracing fraudsters, she noted that the law must be allowed to take its cause.
The NIDCOM Boss also added, “let us focus more on the positive things Nigerians in the Diaspora are doing than the few negative narratives that purportedly give Nigeria a bad image.
Some Nigerians are working three to four jobs per day, yet acts such as those arrested for fraud are used to judge and stereotype them.”
She urged the youths to channel their energies to the path of honesty and integrity and uphold high moral values stressing again that one bad apple cannot spoil the whole bunch.
Recall we reported here first, that Hushpuppi and members of his gang were arrested in June at their Dubai residences, by the Police.
Huspuppi was arrested along with Olalekan Ponle, also known as Woodberry and 10 others.
The 12 suspects were arrested in six simultaneous raids carried out by the e-police unit of the Dubai Police.
Fraud committed amount to 1.6 billion dirhams ($435,611,200).
Dubai police seized cash worth 150 million dirhams ($40,838,550) during the raid, 21 laptops as well as 47 smartphones.