Last week, I was just on my own on WhatsApp when I was suddenly flooded with various testimonies about a new breed of young, daring, defiant and inexcusably lavish-living high school teenagers, who have now come to be known as the "benefit boys".

Second after second, stories and accounts of their deeds infiltrated social media. One story reported that they asked their school principal to employ someone else to cut the grass they were asked to, volunteering to pay for the service instead. On first thought, one might make an excuse of how it would afford them more time to prepare for their senior secondary school examination. Besides, I do not really buy the idea of using students as manual labourers. Another story described how benefit boys gifted their school principal a pair of Nike Airforce sneakers.

Well, schools have been shut for over four months, perhaps, the gift is probably just because they missed their good man. Trust me, all of these testimonies made me picture them as good students until some new testimonies began to surface. At this point, things started not to add up any longer.

Soon, videos of students going live on Instagram while in class, videos of students misbehaving, taunting and even flirting with both male and female teachers saturated the internet space. Then, I thought to myself, "This definitely must be trending on Twitter already (the hive of "Nigerian intellectuals”)". So, there I went. Behold! It was the top trending topic.

Not many bothered to speak ill of these kids. It was just tweeps heavily riding on the trend for more likes, retweets and followers, by making jokes and memes. My curiosity still would not let me rest. So, in a bid to really know who these benefit boys are, I decided to consult Google.

The Covid-19 pandemic is far beyond just a health crisis, it has affected and is still affecting affairs worldwide. In response to the hardship unleashed by the virus, the United States launched a bailout initiative it addressed as "benefits and grants" for those whose jobs have been affected by the pandemic. Unfortunately, a group of hackers stole millions of Americans’ identities and used them to fraudulently file for unemployment benefits.

In May 2020, the Secret Service investigated and linked a substantial amount of this fraud to a ring of suspected Nigerian hackers who allegedly used bogus unemployment claims to steal hundreds of millions in taxpayers' dollars initially intended to help the unemployed Americans.
Apparently, the ring of fraudsters who hacked into the American system to steal details of Americans, filed for unemployment benefits and swindled the United States and her nationals of millions of dollars meant for the unemployed are the ones we now hail as the "benefit boys". They are the ones storming the streets with flashy cars and concrete-shaking music, rocking luxurious designer brand clothings, wielding sophisticated phones and gadgets, and ultimately disturbing the internet by showing off their exquisite lifestyles, all to the admiration of people who celebrate them without questioning the source of their suspicious wealth.

While this (fraud) is not new, I am sincerely appalled at the level of appeal and glorification it got, especially on social media. I mean, a lot of things that became normal in the society today started as jokes and jest. Although, some people argued (and it was quite evident) that some of those videos were comedy skits. But, we cannot overlook the fact that the skits basically mirror the society. It then begs the question; are there no other things we can make jokes about without promoting fraud, moral decadence and illegal acts? How is the misbehaviour of a group of people supposed to be concerned about their forthcoming examination intended to make us have a good laugh?

These acts we are promoting and trying to make “normal” by way of jokes and hilarity is consuming our youths and destroying the leftover of the international reputation we have, denying honest and hardworking Nigerians of opportunities in the international community. Even in virtual settings, individuals on digital forums like Fiverr, Freelancer and Upwork are often skeptical about associating with Nigerians. Worse even, we are making the virtue of hardwork lose its appeal and become increasingly pointless.

This act is everywhere and has found its way into every part of the society. The benefit boys and other fraudsters are around us, but we celebrate them. We felicitate with them when they acquire new gadgets and cars, even when we know they have no legal source of income. We are even complicit to the crime by keeping silent about this menace and still making jokes.

What then would be the lot of those who decide to engage in legitimate trade in years to come? Should we waiting for the chickens to come roosting? I hope your answer is as good as mine.

Bolaji Damilola, Nigeria

Source: http://campusnewsui.com/2020/08/09/benefitboys-what-is-really-beneficial/

OP, good write-up.

It's simply a case of misplaced priority BUT some folks said it's just a skit.
Aside that, Nigeria is a land filled with hypocrites & folks with double standards.
Just look at Magu that was meant to bring criminals to justice, whereas he's a big time criminal himself, even people that penned several allegations against him are NOT innocent themselves. There are several other cases like this in this country.

I will keep on repeating this: until we change positively as individuals, Nigeria won't change positively.

I didn’t know them till yesterday. I watched their skits and I am still confused sha. I don’t really understand what they are on about. I didn’t find it funny, but I can’t say I was so triggered by it.

In case you are lost and you don’t know them, you can find them HERE.

Watching them again, I think it shows how teachers are not rated. That is the life of an average school teacher, underpaid and broke. We need to appreciate teachers in this country.

Flytime:
I guess it's a skit they did a video claiming there were comedians

If it's true then they are going places because it was funny and seemed to True to life

Lol. Yes it is a skit. They just bought ACs for SS3 classes and someone said they did giveaway on the assembly ground- Further Maths teacher won 10k.

Nigerians play too much.

Covid-19 is really not just a health wrecker, it's much more a moral wrecker.

I know a lot of very young people who have told me point blank that they're not going back to school after Covid-19. Reason being that 'dem don enter Street'. One day, this 'street' will be over populated and the 'magas' very few that the 'street' won't be paying as well as it is now. What happens to these young people? Na to carry arms


On the flip side, tomorrow is my birthday!! Samakus is a flagship LEO. Wish me well

Dear mods, please move to Front page

It's not only bbnaija posts you should be swift to move to the promise land

Beejay1117:
Dear mods, please move to Front page

It's not only bbnaija posts you should be swift to move to the promise land

Seconded. Please mods move this to FP.

Beejay1117:
Dear mods, please move to Front page

It's not only bbnaija posts you should be swift to move to the promise land

I am in support

They want to spoil our left over kids

Benefit boys do give away for assembly, principal win 20k head boy win 15k

heard they letter did a video and said they are comedians and its jus a skit after thier previous videos went viral and i think its all lies because those guys looks like serious benefit boys to me and that confession was to avoid the eyes of secret agencies ontl them because i have never seen such a skit soo real and accurately recorded like thiers...
its normal for our youths to praise and join the trending things and its was fun seeing so many crazy post about them...for example principal catch benefit boys they smoke weed and say make teachers free them because na high school..

Its a skit nothing serious,stop viewing it from a wrong perceptive

Samakus:
Covid-19 is really not just a health wrecker, it's much more a moral wrecker.

I know a lot of very young people who have told me point blank that they're not going back to school after Covid-19. Reason being that 'dem don enter Street'. One day, this 'street' will be over populated and the 'magas' very few that the 'street' won't be paying as well as it is now. What happens to these young people? Na to carry arms


On the flip side, tomorrow is my birthday!! Samakus is a flagship LEO. Wish me well

You make sense.
BTW, happy birthday in advance.
May you continue to win in all ramifications of life.

Karlifate:

You make sense!
BTW, Happy birthday in advance, fellow Leo. May you continue to win in all ramifications of life.

Amen bro. We will win fellow LEO

Reynbowjenie:
Its a skit nothing serious,stop viewing it from a wrong perceptive

Just like every serious matter is treated negligently. Typical Nigerian mentality

paulolee:
heard its jus a skit and its all lies but those guys looks like serious benefit boys to me

And what's the positive thing in making skits that encourage the young ones to eventually live out those fantasies. Stop being simplistic!

I pity teachers seriously when school fully resumes, students have gone so wild and for private school teachers that will resume with frustration, there's going to definitely be a serious indirect war between the teachers and students.

chii8:
I pity teachers seriously when school fully resumes, students have gone so wild and for private school teachers that will resume with frustration, there's going to definitely be a serious indirect war between the teachers and students.

Recently one of my junior brother friend visited him with Samsung galaxy s7 plus. I was like wtf how did he get the money.

Ps: its Samsung galaxy s8+.

Na skit u write this long Tori for?? U even add "What's beneficial" join again...
although, if it was real.. I would have commended this post

Totally uncalled for... Youth at early age at that...

Mkv Tv Series

It's a comedy skit.

. . . don't take life too serious.

LOL Many shits are hiding under skits

Hmmm

Ok
In everything happening throughout the globe this the best you could come up with... No shit

IPhone don become pure water. The way these people buy 300k phones like they just buying biscuits. All because they want to oppress we lazy youth that have refused to engage in internet fraud hahaha

Las las we go dey alright.. But mehn oppression plenty oh.. LMAO

The issue is that we are generally greedy and all we think about is money. No one is investigating the source of the money they are spending instead what we see is how people keep praising them.

May God save this 21st century generation

Nice write up OP, although i have seen this trending on Twitter since last week,

Simply put....

BENEFIT BOYS = YAHOO BOYS = YOUNG THIEFS = SCAMMERS

If u still dont understand any of the above, go to yaba left, your medicine is there.

The Truth be told........
Out of Every TEN Nigerian youths,i can bet with you that 5 or 4 are into fraud,the others are still thinking or dont know how to join.

And these are the Causes- Joblessness,idleness,corruption, corrupt and Evil leaders looting public funds just to mention a few. Truth be told Yahoo Yahoo is not going anytime soon and until there is a Death sentence for fraudsters including corrupt politicians and fixing this Nation right its only gonna get worse.

I have said my own.

Besides I'm a christian and Jesus Loves you
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Who are they ?i can’t read that Abeg


By the way, we have new clearance sales for Men’s wears and it is 50% discount off! Quality clothes from Cottny(Uk).

Shit

Na money dey make person beneficial

They are boys with no salaries