# Nigeria - it's a wild and crazy place! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 13, 2001, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346 "2001-07-13T08:01:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346/1 "2001-07-13T08:01:21Z")
Geez, and I thought LA was a seething cesspool of crime and corruption. I mean, not that it’s not, but, dude, [Nigeria’s _really_ messed up](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53140-2001Jul12.html). Seriously, how the heck can people live like this? How can their government let them? ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346/2 "2001-07-13T14:32:12Z")
When I worked for a parking company in Chicago, one of the guys who worked in the garage was Nigerian. He was one of the sweetest guys I have ever known. He liked me a lot (I worked in the main office, and he felt I somehow helped him to get hired) When he discovered I was pregnant, he wrote to his family back in Nigeria and asked them to send him a baby outfit. After I had Blake, he gave the outfit to me as a gift. It was bright green and gold, with the hat that looks kind of like an upside-down pizza pan. Oh, I loved that outfit and dressed Blake up in it like a little Nigerian king. Just thought I’d let you know my interaction with Nigeria. (If you can even call it that) ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346/3 "2001-07-13T15:26:32Z")
Just got this email. A snail-mail version has been delivered to our department a few times, as well. > [@](#): > > ``` > OFFICE OF THE CO-ORDINATOR, > CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL > > ``` > > MR. ENDURANCE JOWOH (MNIM), DIRECT FAX; 234 1 7590371, > LAGOS, NIGERIA. > > ATTN:[my name] > > REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL > > I AM MR. ENDURANCE JOWOH (MNIM),THE CO-ORDINATOR OF > THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA CONTRACT REVIEW > PANEL OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL > PETROLEUMCORPORATION(NNPC).SOMETIME AGO, A CONTRACT > WAS AWARDED TO A CONGLOMERATE OF FOREIGN COMPANIES BY > MY COMMITTEE ON BEHALF OF (NNPC),THE CONTRACT WAS OVER > INVOICED TO THE TUNE OF US$24.5 MILLION. THIS WAS DONE > DELIBERATELY, THE OVER INVOICING WAS A DEAL BY MEMBERS > OF MY COMMITTEE TO BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECT, WE NOW > DESIRE TO TRANSFER THIS MONEY WHICH IS PRESENTLY IN A > SUSPENSE ACCOUNT OF THE NNPC IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF > NIGERIA (CBN) INTO AN OVERSEAS ACCOUNT WHICH WE EXPECT > YOU TO PROVIDE FORUS. > > BENEFITS: > FOR PROVIDING THE ACCOUNT WHERE WE SHALL REMIT THE > MONEY, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 25% OF THE MONEY, 70% > WILL BE FOR ME AND MY PARTNERS, WHILE 5% HAS BEEN > MAPPED OUT FROM THE TOTAL SUM TO COVER ANY EXPENSES > THAT MAY BE INCURRED BY US DURING THE COURSE OF THIS > TRANSACTION, BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES.I > WOULD REQUIRE: > A. NAME AND ADDRESS OF COMPANY/BENEFICIARY > B. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, BANK ADDRESS AND > INFORMATION (THAT YOU HAVE 100% CONTROL OVER). > THE ABOVE INFORMATION WOULD BE USED TO MAKE FORMAL > APPLICATIONS AS A MATTER OF PROCEDURE FOR THE RELEASE > OF THE MONEY FOR ONWARD TRANSFER TO YOUR ACCOUNT. IT > DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOUR COMPANY OR YOU > PERFORMED CONTRACT PROJECTS OF THE NATURE DESCRIBED > HERE, THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT YOU WON A MAJOR CONTRACT > AND SUB-CONTRACTED OUT TO OTHER COMPANIES. MORE OFTEN > THAN NOT, BIG TRADING COMPANIES OR INDIVIDUALS OF > UNRELATED FIELD WIN MAJOR CONTRACTS AND SUB-CONTRACTS > IT OUT TO MORE SPECIALISED FIRMS FOR EXECUTION OF SUCH > CONTRACTS.WE HAVE STRONG AND RELIABLE CONNECTIONS AND > CONTACTS AT THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN) AND THE > FEDERAL MINISTRY OF FINANCE (FMF) AND WE HAVE NO > DOUBTS THAT ALL THIS MONEY WILL BE RELEASED AND > TRANSFERED IF WE GET THE NECESSARY FOREIGN PARTNER IN > THIS DEAL.THEREFORE, WHEN THE BUSINESS IS SUCCESSFULLY > CONCLUDED, WE SHALL THROUGH OUR SAME CONNECTIONS > WITHDRAW ALL DOCUMENTS USED FROM ALL THE CONCERNED > GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES FOR 100% SECURITY. > WE WANT THIS MONEY TO BE TRANSFERED TO THE OVERSEAS > ACCOUNT WHICH YOU ARE GOING TO PROVIDE FOR SAFE > KEEPING PENDING WHEN WE WILL DETERMINE HOW WE WANT OUR > PORTION OF THE MONEY, ALL EXPENSES REGARDING THE > ACCOUNT OPENING IF NOT ALREADY IN EXISTENCE SHALL BE > BORNE BY YOU, ALL EXPENSES ARE HOWEVER REIMBURSEABLE > AS ALREADY STATED ABOVE ON CONCLUSION OF BUSINESS. > PLEASE, CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY THROUGH FAX OR EMAIL > WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS DEAL, SO > THAT IF YOU ARE NOT, IT WILL ENABLE ME SCOUT FOR > ANOTHER FOREIGN PARTNER TO CARRY OUT THIS DEAL. > FORTUNATELY, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, SEND THE REQUIRED > INFORMATION MENTIONED THROUGH MY DIRECT FAX NUMBER: > 234 1 7590371 AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR THROUGH EMAIL. > FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS BUSINESS, SEND ME A FAX OR > EMAIL. > I AWAIT IN ANTICIPATION FOR YOUR COOPERATION. > > YOURS FAITHFULLY, > > MR. ENDURANCE JOWOH (MNIM). Who the hell would read this and think it doesn’t stink to high heaven? And tscha, right, like I’m going to fax this guy to tell him I’m not interested. But, hey, if any of you guys are, be my guest. . . ---
**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346/4 "2001-07-13T16:31:00Z")
I’ve seen that scam on Snopes, but lack the energy to go look it up right now. Apparently it’s been around for quite awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nigeria-its-a-wild-and-crazy-place/72346/5 "2001-07-13T17:27:51Z")
Indeed, **mrblue**. . . [http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/nigeria.htm](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/nigeria.htm) I checked some of the snail mail (one of the profs has them tacked up on his bulletin board) and they were each different–different countries, different origins of the large sums of money. The other two were Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast.