Social media, however beneficial to business networking, transactions and human relations in general, come with its flip side which, on hourly basis, creates apprehension as a result of break down of orderliness and loss of trust.
Crowdfunding is not a Nigerian innovation. Far from it! It is a device which has since earned global recognition with activities of notable platforms such as GoFundMe, Fundly, GoGetFunding, Crowdr, Quickraiz, WhyDonate and numerous others which put smiles on faces of the needy and distressed.
As helpful and life-changing as crowdfunding is, TheTabloid.net gathered that it has been lately infested by pests; that is, smart individuals, who set up platforms in the name of charity and foundation to lift the fallen from the ground and breathe into them a new life, but using the opportunity as an instrument to help themselves at the expense of the objective for which they collect public donations to fund those groups.
A week ago, the Saturday Punch newspaper reported one Mr Kayode Amusan, who is said to be a cleric, currently struggling to clear his name on an allegation of using his foundation, through which he regularly received financial contributions, to defraud his unsuspecting donors.
The report confirmed that Amusan is a pastor of a church known as Agbala Gabriel which is located in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The report acknowledged that Amusan started a few years ago as a good samaritan who rehabilitated the sick and hopeless who sought his help in his church. His gestures have since recorded inspiring testimonies until last month when an inmate, a female, suffering from spinal chord, broke her silence over what she had endured under Amusan.
The lady’s revelation sparked public reactions, most of which dug into Amusan’s past, alleging he was using his inmates only as a means to suck kind hearts, especially concerned Nigerians resident in Europe and America.
While Amusan is blessed with an army of sympathisers who are all out defending him apparently having benefitted from his charity, not a few respondents too, however, have made a reference to his equally controversial ordeal with one Mr Muyideen and a veteran actress, Mrs Bisi Gboye, his supposed beneficiaries, both of whom turned round and accused the pastor of lack of fidelity in their transactions, especially the house he claimed to have built for them.
But Amusan told Saturday Punch that he was not taken aback by the development, adding he was not the first pastor whose name have been dragged into the mud. He said, “All ministers who became famous faced this kind of lies. We see men of God like Pastor Adeboye, and other famous pastors being dragged on social media on everyday. This is just how they do on social media, making false allegations.”
Also facing public backlash is Mr Abiodun Ayoyinka, who acted a distinct character in a popular Papa Ajasco comedy produced over the years by Mr Wale Adenuga of the Ikebe Super comic magazine fame of the 70s.
Ayoyinka, who is said to have retired from Lagos State Civil Service a few years ago, recently granted an interview wherein he lamented that he was living a life unbefitting his status as a television star, claiming he had no house and car of his own, and seeking public suppport.
His point instantly generated sympathy for him and insult to Adenuga, his producer, whom he had accused of restricting him and other cast of the production from using their stage names for personal purposes.
However, Adenuga has risen and cleared the air on the matter. In a statement credited to him, he affirmed Ayoyinka’s talent and described him as “a versatile actor who has played the role of Papa Ajasco. He bears the closest resemblance to the cartoon version of the Papa Ajasco character, which | created on my dining table in 1976 during my publishing days.”
Adenuga said, “He is very close to me, and so far, there has been no irreconcilable difference between us. Candidly, I want to address the wave of misinformation, emotional commentary, and uninformed public intervention that has followed his recent media interview.”
He continued, “I am doing this not with malice, but in the interest of truth, transparency, and the integrity of a legacy that has entertained millions of Nigerians for decades. Abiodun Ayoyinka was a civil servant with the Lagos State Government for over three decades.
“He was even the face of the state’s cultural troupe, which endeared him to the likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his time as governor, as well as his successors. He retired not too long ago. In fact, we used to seek permission from his office anytime we needed him on location.
“On the car issue, we once gave him a car – and Pa James as well. He has also used not less than five cars, including a MercedesBenz, at different times. And to the best of my knowledge, he has a house in Ogun State.”
Adenuga asserted that Ayoyinka lacks the right to use what he called the copyrighted brand name for personal ventures, saying “because it is our duty to protect the brand from inappropriate usage that could damage its reputation.”
However, he clarified that “he (Ayoyinka) has not been barred from accepting advert jobs. As he himself stated, all that is required is to……”
Further findings by our correspondents revealed that some foundations and related groups were set up with veiled intentions to create wealth for conveners. Some of the groups are said to be faceless in their cleverness to escape formal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja.
Mr Ayo Olawole, an award- winning retired police officer, is concerned about this new trend, confirming that scammers have infiltrated what ought to be a humanitarian service to the needy.
He said, “The abuse of crowdfunding in Nigeria via charity group or foundation includes the derailing from the original motives or plans behind the crowdfunding without the knowledge of the innocent contributors.
“Lack of transparency and accountability are also some of the problems. Also, non existent of legal legislation to monitor the activities of crowdfunding, leads to uncontrollable abuse in Nigeria.”
A Nigerian resident in Germany, Ganiyat Gbenro is also agitated by the turn of things, as regards this abuse of foundation. She alleged, “often times, people cooked emotional stories to get on people on social media and the target audience are mostly diasporans.”
She urged the diasporans to divert their financial assistance to their families and friends rather than to “ghost” foundations and charity organisations on social media.
She added a new perspective into the subject alleging that a number of crowdfunding groups are connected to what she called money trafficking.
“Check out the Yoruba facebook fracas and see the celebrities soliciting donations for helping random people,” she suggested.
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