By Bunmi Sofola
ONE bitter pill we’ve all had to swallow is the fact that 419 operators are not only here to stay, their success within Nigeria and abroad has become a nightmare. A few months ago, Jade, a friend, called looking very sorry for herself. A fairly successful investor, she’s a celebrity of sort because of her long stint in the print and electronic media. Even after she retired from paid employment, she stays visible in the media. The problem with her is that she has a heart of gold and would help anyone in distress if she could, that is.
That recently got her into big trouble!
“I had this call out of the blues on my mobile phone,” she told me as soon as she settled down. “The GSM menace again, I muttered to myself”, she continued, “A fairly familiar voice said he called to congratulate me on my recent sketch appearance in a TV play. He went on to tell me he was one of the cameramen that worked closely with me when I was working with a TV station. On and on he went about how proud he was of me and how I would for ever be an inspiration to people like him. I felt lifted after the cal. It was encouraging to know that there were people out there I could inspire.
“A few weeks later, this same guy called. He was still at Abuja, he said, and as luck would have it, he’d been able to pull this juicy contract to supply realms of paper to a particular ministry. He was short of cash, he said, and that was where I came in. It would be a full partnership venture and a third partner would be visiting me to intimate me of the contract and delivery dates. He was also to take me to their office in the heart of Lagos where the items would be delivered when purchased. I was instantly on my guard. ‘Oh, auntie, you don’t trust me,’ he moaned. ‘I don’t blame you with all these ‘Gba jue’ (419) people around.
