Among the several issues that trailed the royal visit of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to Nigeria, the negative statement from British journalists Kevin O’Sullivan, Michael Cole and Christopher Wilson tops the list.
It will be recalled that the couple visited Nigeria to celebrate the Invictus Games, Harry’s tournament for wounded soldiers in Nigeria.
According to British journalist and presenter, Kevin O’Sullivan, O’Sullivan, “Nigeria doesn’t deserve endorsement from anyone, especially members of the royal family. The royal family doesn’t just go anywhere. These tours are planned years in advance and the countries that the royals honour with their visits are very carefully chosen.”
“There’s no way our royal family would set foot in Nigeria, a country where female genital mutilation is rife; where women’s rights basically don’t exist; and where hundreds of kids are regularly kidnapped by extremist Islamic groups.”
Criticising the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for visiting Nigeria, Kevin O’Sullivan said: “This is not a country that should be endorsed by anyone, certainly not our royal family and these two are naive in what they’re doing. They’re making this country look good when it doesn’t deserve it”.
Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist called Nigeria a dangerous destination.
“I couldn’t tell you the number of royal tours that I’ve been on and what you say is absolutely right. Nigeria, the foreign office and the American State Department both say it’s a dangerous destination, you must not go there. It vies with Johannesburg, South Africa to be the murder capital of the continent.
“In that country, there’s industrial scale, volumes of people who are ripping off people around the world, internet fraud, wholesale internet fraud, defrauding old ladies, stealing identities and none of that is ever prosecuted,” Cole said.
Angered by the visit of the Royals, another British journalist, Christopher Wilson, wrote on his social media “Desperate to show his wife they were still ‘royal’ in the eyes of the world, the Duke of Windsor took Wallis on a tour of Germany in 1937. Nigeria’s human rights record is not far short of Nazi Germany’s”.
However, Wilson got heavy backlash from Nigerians for comparing Nigerians to Nazis due to the royal couple’s visit.
Meanwhile, the negative statements made by these British journalists and ordinary citizens should serve as an urgent call to action for Nigerian leaders to change the narratives and optics of how the world perceives Nigeria by addressing the issues raised by these journalists.
Abolishing medical tourism for government officials and politicians is one way the current leadership can improve Nigeria’s image in the world. Medical tourism has grown as a result of successive governments’ neglect of the nation’s health-care system. Because of decades of neglect, the nation’s health system has deteriorated to the point where hospitals at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels are unable to provide the care that patients require. The health-care system has faced multifaceted issues. Aside from infrastructure decay, a lack of necessary equipment, and a lack of basic health commodities in hospitals, years of constant brain drain resulted in the loss of many experienced health professionals to hospitals in Europe, America, and even Asia.
When this happens, our government officials will be forced to revamp the country’s neglected health-care system.
Furthermore, schooling abroad for children of public office holders must be prohibited; this is the only way for those in public office to ensure that our educational system functions properly.
A robust and comprehensive risk management and cyber security strategy is urgently required to combat cybercrime, particularly fraud. The government must be seen to be more stringent in its cyber security measures, with focused enforcement.
5 Tips on how you can prevent Cyber Scam and prevent Scammers
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Avoid Giving out personal information unless it is secure
It is important to be very careful about what you do and how you behave on the internet. When it comes to online scams, however-For one, you should never share your Bank details or any other personal information in emails or private messages on social media (only when secured).
For additional safety purchase products from trusted e-commerce sites with HTTPS certificates and data encryption. Installation of antivirus software is of high importance this is because, while some scammers may only be after your credit card or bank account info, others could infect your computer with spyware or some other type of malicious software to monitor your activity and steal your personal information. For extra protection, make sure to update your antivirus program and virus definitions regularly.
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Never open attachments in spam emails
Be careful of offers that seem too good to be truly sent to your emails, message boxes, etc. Always be suspicious when messages are on spam. Check where a link is going before you click on it by hovering over it. Do not let anyone remotely access your computer. Check every website is secure by looking for a closed security padlock symbol in the browser window bar (where the website address is located). Watch out for spelling or grammatical mistakes which are a sign of scams. Be suspicious of any discount offered for paying by bank transfer.
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If you get an attachment you weren’t expecting, don’t open it. Instead reach out to the sender, preferably via a different method like a text message or phone call, and confirm that the attachment is genuine before you open it. Stop Responding to emails/attachments sent to you from unknown addresses, and also don’t click on any links or attachments they may be unauthorized. When you receive emails containing unauthorized content (i.e. killer scam and advance fee scam emails), you should report them either to the Security personnel.
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Contact companies directly about suspicious requests
Suspicious requests such as friend requests, suspicious calls, and text messages should be avoided. If you get asked for data or personal information from a company that has called you, hang up. Call them back using the number on their official website to ensure you are speaking to them and not a FRAUDSTER. Ideally, use a different phone because cybercriminals can hold the line open. When you think you’ve re-dialed, they can pretend to be from the bank or other organization that you think you’re speaking to.
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Keep an eye on your bank statements
Keep an eye on your bank statements and any unfamiliar transactions with the bank queried. The bank can investigate whether they are fraudulent. These tips should help you avoid falling foul of cybercrime. However, if all else fails, spotting that you have become a victim of cybercrime quickly is important.
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Be mindful of which website URLs you visit
Keep an eye on the URLs you are clicking on. Questions you should ask. Are they legitimate? Are they authenticated links or websites? Avoid clicking on links that may seem unfamiliar or spam-looking. Hence, before carrying out financial transactions online If your internet security product includes functionality to secure online transactions, ensure it is enabled. Now you understand the threat of cybercrime, protect yourself from it.
Another issue that the government and everyone in positions of authority must address in order to completely eradicate kidnapping and BA. It is up to political leaders to restore national pride in Africa’s most populous country, or we will continue to be laughed at in Africa and around the world.
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