Reality TV star and comedian, Aderombi Adedayo, popularly known as DeeOne, has alleged that veteran singer Olu Maintain contributed to tarnishing Nigeria’s global image through his 2007 hit song, ‘Yahooze.’
Speaking on the Echo Room podcast, DeeOne claimed that before the release of the song, internet fraud — popularly called Yahoo Yahoo — was a shameful activity people engaged in secrecy. He argued that the track, which went on to dominate the music scene with a viral dance step, normalized fraud culture and made it appear glamorous to young Nigerians.
“Yahoo Yahoo was something people were ashamed of. But when Olu Maintain dropped Yahooze, the whole country started celebrating it. Young boys and even children were inspired by the song and the vibe. That was when fraud began to be seen as an accepted profession in Nigeria,” DeeOne said.
The comedian added that Nigeria is now battling the consequences of glorifying cybercrime, stressing that the stigma has followed Nigerians abroad.
