“It’s Not Yahoo Boys, It’s Yahoo Leaders” — Seun Kuti Blames Nigerian Politicians for Global Disrespect

 Afrobeat singer and activist Seun Kuti has sparked debate after declaring that the reason Nigerians face disrespect on the global stage is not because of “Yahoo boys,” but because of the country’s political leaders.

Challenging a popular narrative, Kuti argued that internet fraudsters are not the true reflection of Nigeria abroad. Instead, he pointed to the ruling class, accusing them of being the root cause of the country’s battered reputation.

“The narrative that it’s Yahoo boys that make the world not respect Nigeria is plain false. We know fully well that the only reason nobody respects Nigeria is because of our politicians. Nobody judges a country by the worst of the country because every country has people they’re not proud of. Every country is judged by the behaviour of the ruling class, the prominent and the elite of that country.”

The outspoken musician further claimed that Western nations often deny Nigerians entry because of the corruption, misconduct, and scandals associated with those in power.

“The world sees our politicians and all the bad things they do. Western countries refuse Nigerians from coming into their country because they’ll be like, if your leaders, your rich and most prominent people behave this badly, how will you the ordinary people behave?” he added.

Kuti’s statement has since gone viral on social media, with many Nigerians agreeing that the actions of the elite have done more damage to the nation’s image than the crimes of a few internet fraudsters. Others, however, insist that both political corruption and cybercrime jointly contribute to Nigeria’s global perception problem.