It’s no longer news that Nigeria has been disconnected from using PayPal service, the platform that allows various business partners to transact money online irrespective of the country.
The only reason given for such an action was cybercrime. This implies that no business in Nigeria can benefit from PayPal service, which makes it difficult for freelancers to work with companies that only insist on paying through the PayPal system.
An adage says that two wrongs don’t make a right, which I completely agree. Disconnecting millions of Nigerians and thousands of businesses because of a small fraction of the population is really disheartening. There are scams everywhere. It’s not only in Nigeria.
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Nigeria is a country that is best known for cybercrimes, and it often amazes me how people from other countries overlook the other side of the country.
I think the treatment we got from PayPal was totally unfair. In fact, it was very harsh. Your decision had cost many businesses to crumble, and it had also put many freelancers into a problem of how to get their money for the services they’ve rendered.
Being a freelancer, I can tell you how difficult it is for me to get paid for any service I render to companies outside the country. Often, I would go through a third party that lives outside the country. He will also have to go through a bank process to get the money down to me.
Meaning I pay charges twice or thrice, which makes me lose more money.
There was a time when the First Bank of Nigeria froze my account. They suspected my transaction. I was getting money from a particular sender monthly and it seems they don’t feel comfortable with it. Until I had to provide evidence.
Yes, even we Nigerians don’t trust ourselves and that baffles me.
But I’m really surprised that our leaders are not talking about it. Maybe because they don’t use PayPal service.
Here are some questions I would love to ask the operators of PayPal:
- Would PayPal have done that to a country like the United States of America, or England?
- Have you not recorded any cybercrime on PayPal since you blocked Nigeria?
- Have you not recorded any cybercrime from other countries and did you also block them?
I would implore PayPal to revisit that decision and make a change with immediate effect.
The annoying part of it all, despite being blocked from transacting money through PayPal, we still get the weekly newsletters and other features that give updates about your service.
Why give us updates when we are not a beneficiary of your service?
It is high time we tell other countries that Nigeria is not a country of scammers.
There are scams. I agree, but it should not be targeted at our beloved country, Nigeria. It is everywhere.
Our youth are being deprived of their benefits and rights, our qualified graduates overseas can’t get the right opportunity because everyone is scared of them.
- We are not scammers!
- Stop treating us like one!
- Stop judging us unfairly!
Judge us as humans that make mistakes and punish the offender. Stop punishing the whole people of the country because of a small fraction of the population.
Bring back PayPal to Nigeria.
The country doesn’t have great image in the eyes of others, and when you are in such a position, if you now have a handful of your citizens who misbehave, it becomes even more complicated.
In some countries, the West may declare that the government is very corrupt and irresponsible, but the citizens are good; but for Nigeria – both the government and its citizens are all suspects.
It’s a difficult position to start from, but it also gives the people of the ‘condemned’ place a chance to prove that they are not like that; unfortunately that ‘proof’ is still questionable at the moment.
Paypal are at loss. Many fintech companies are tking over. I hope its too late for them when they realise what they are doing? I have been using Payoneer ever since paypal restricted my UK paypal simply because I relocated to Nigeria and accessed my paypal.
Funny enough, Nigerians dont even commit half cybercrime that most (wont call names) advanced countries commit.
Very unfortunate indeed.
Totally agree with you. Am based overseas and they do more crime than Nigerians but most of the issues can be traced back to the our lawmakers. If PayPal is leaving Nigeria summon them to the House of Rep or Senate to explain their decisions.
Most problems we face with companies leaving or misbehaving in Nigeria is because the lawmakers doesn’t care. PayPal can’t just exit the UK or Germany without being summoned to Parliament.
No nation is more corrupt than western nations, especially Britain and the USA. Britain has–at some point–invaded and occupied 9 out of every 10 nations on the planet; yet it’s they who decry nation corruption. The USA, who illegally invaded and occupied two nations over nothing but lies (Iraq & Afghanistan); now going on for nearly two decades; continue invading and starting coups in nations all over the planet, including: Venezuela, Nicaragua, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Lest we not forget religion: nearly all non-native religions were created from the invasion and genocide of Ancient North Africans (Egypt). Western nations don’t work with Africans who are not willing to sell out their own people, then decry the same corruption–they themselves–nourished and encouraged through secret back-door deals.
European nations buy diamonds as cheaply as possible, pitting Africans against Africans trying to mine them; some dying to make a living (or try too). This all the while, European nations who’ve purchased diamonds as cheaply as possible, hoard the diamonds in warehouses in Europe to artificially inflate the price–diamonds are not rare gems.
Nations on the African continent are still being oppressed by western nations. As an American, I try to speak out about their lies; even people in the sciences have helped to white-wash human history. My ancestors are from Africa, not Europe. Whites and western nations have tainted this entire planet with their lies, white-supremacy, and religious cults.
Paypal should reverse their decision, and take steps to help support legitimate businesses in Nigeria. As an American, I do NOT support the lies of western nations; no more lies!
“Paypal should reverse their decision, and take steps to help support legitimate businesses in Nigeria.” I AGREE.
If PayPal insists on Blocking Nigerians(Both corporate & individuals) from doing legitimate transactions because of a few miscreants, its because they have not seen a viable competition locally offering the same service in the country. If this trend continues in as little as 5 years, trust me PayPal will lose the biggest market in the whole of Subsaharan Africa.
This is an great opportunity for a fully Nigerian startup to take the challenge. I believe Paystack is lurking in the corner.
As much I don’t support PayPal’s decision and agree with the author and other commentators of this article, as a business entity, have we asked ‘how much’ PayPal might have lost to scammers in Nigeria? If you are responsible for a company such as PayPal, your first priority is to your shareholders. If a country or group of people choose to defraud continually, do you a) assess weigh/risk of doing business with said people b) carry on trading with said people irrespective of glaring risk factors? Let’s be fair to many PayPal. How many other countries have they done this to? Nigeria should search itself and look within, before looking without.
@sola, you made valid oints but hey!, Nigeria is not the ony country in the world that has some corrupt people. Its just like throwing the baby with the water.
Most of the so-called fraudulent activities that emanate from Nigeria are actually not comited by Nigerians. Secondly paypal should look for ways of tightening their controls rather than look for whom to blame.
The major issue that paypal have with ‘Nigerians’ is the number of chargeback claims but…is blocking the country the best way? I dont think so.
Trust me, they will loose out. Where is Hotmail and co today? You simply cannot run a business by closing your doors because you suspect people coming in.
PayPal blocking Nigeria due to cybercrime is never a good reason, the rate of cybercrime in Nigeria can never be compared to the US and other western countries. This has really affected both Nigerians and the entire PayPal community because so far Nigeria had been one of the countries responsible of the huge growth of PayPal. I strongly suggest that Nigeria and her leaders should sponsor or implement a new payment system that will cover the pothole which PayPal has built in the lives of entrepreneurs and freelancers