Step 1. Set up a platform called Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs (AYE) and claim that it is the largest networking event for entrepreneurs in Africa.
Step 2. Use your connections to solicit for support/affiliation from a few prominent Nigerians and ‘oyibo’ people that we are supposed to be impressed by.
Step 3. Promise young entrepreneurs all over Nigeria that their business ideas will be funded. Make them go through a shabby ‘application process’ where they spend their precious time and hard earned money to travel long distances for screening then send them a congratulations email that they are BENEFICIARIES of an undisclosed award.
Step 4. Invite them to pitch their ideas at a panel but charge them huge sums of money for it (in 2015 struggling entrepreneurs were asked to pay N30,000 for a chance to ‘pitch’ their business ideas to a panel and most were given nothing in return. No mentorship. No financial aid. No resources. Nothing)
*Where on earth are people charged money to pitch their business ideas? This is called Advance Fee Fraud (aka 419) as it falls under Section 419 of the Criminal Code.
Step 5. Hold a fancy event at Oriental Hotel, Lekki and invite politicians to hijack it as a platform to campaign for 2019 (I am personally disappointed that Senator. Ben Murray Bruce would openly voice his support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar towards 2019 elections, in a room full of Young Entrepreneurs seeking to take Nigeria forward not backwards.)
Step 6. Call the event “Networking With Giants Conference,” but do not allow any of the attendees to have access to meet any of the “giants.” Instead let the “giants” tell us the challenges of doing business in Nigeria (which we are more familiar with than they are, with all due respect.)
Step 7. In the middle of the program, invite Alibaba (the comedian) to unhumorously solicit for funds from the attendees INCLUDING THE ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE SEEKING FOR FUNDING! UNBELIEVABLE!!! We are disappointed as to how a distinguished Senior Citizen such as Alibaba could be blindfolded into such a charade of an event.
Step 8. Hire Usherettes to carry POS around and harass people to donate money including the people who came hoping to get funding for their businesses. Really!??
Step 9. Gather all the so called BENEFICIARIES to snap group picture and give them cheap neck warmer and empty certificate paper with no name or signature on it as proof of what you have done (assumably for the purpose of soliciting funds from foreign donor organisations).
Step 10. Hire Lil Kesh and other artistes to perform to a room full of “BENEFICIARIES” who are still so confused at what is happening till at almost midnight they start leaving disappointed…after 3 months of application procedures, paying for ticket, travel expenses from different parts of Nigeria to attend a political event that they never opted for.
That is a simple 10 step process to scamming over 5000 young Nigerian entrepreneurs as executed by Summi Smart Francis, founder of AYE.
Summary:
The AYE 2017 “Networking with Giants Conference” was simply a night of politics that was played with young aspiring Nigerian entrepreneurs as the pawns. A very fine show of the true position of the Nigerian youth today – mere tools for political ends while the youths themselves return home empty handed after the politics have been played.
We sincerely appreciated the presence of the dignitaries present especially the likes of Fela Durotoye who gave a compelling talk about the future of Nigeria and the ABC’s of getting it right for the sake of the youths upon who the future depends. We also appreciate the likes of Patrick Utomi and others who shared their wealth of experience in the Nigerian business terrain, likewise the warmth of Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija who has been grand matron of the event for 3 years running. But what we saw last night was a sham!
Please share this post until it goes viral. Mrs. Folorusho Alakija (grand matron of AYE), Chief. Bola Ahmed Tinubu (grand patron of AYE), Fela Durotoye, Pat Utomi, Sen. Ben Murray Bruce, former Vice President Atiku Abubakr, Fidelity Bank Managing Director and all the other dignitaries at the event too numerous to mention deserve to know hear our feedback since we were not given audience that night.
We wish to state that the Nigerian youths will no longer be used as pawns to political ends. We hereby urge the above named distinguished citizens of Nigeria to caution the activities of the management of the Africa Young Entrepreneurs platform and its founder Mr. Sunmi Smart Francis.
We shall be seeking redress via due process soon.
(Kindly share on every social media platform available, tag anyone who attended the AYE 2017 conference and tag bloggers and news outlet willing to publish this piece)
Courtesy, a Scammed ‘Beneficiary.’
Teniola Esan Esq