Unveiled: Another Victim Of Globacom’s Win A Trip To Dubai Fraudulent Promo

*“I Had To Sell My Deep Freezer To Procure International Passport …”

*Folashade Adediran Omoemi Laments

As the series on Telecommunications Services Provider, Globacom’s "Win A Trip To Dubai" Fraudulent Promotion conducted in September, 2011, continues on this blog, we present to you the second out of four established victims of the monumental sleaze perpetrated by a Nigerian owned company against fellow Nigerians. The story of Folashade Adediran Omoemi who is based in Oshogbo, Osun state, is a little more disturbing than that of Lasisi Alliu Olasunkanmi that you read in the first episode of this journalistic soap opera. According to Folashade in an exclusive interview with this blogger, when Globacom first made their “useless” phone call to her with their customized 121 phone number, she initially wanted to disregard the “unsolicited” information given to her by the caller that she had won an all expense paid trip to Dubai, as a prank from the ubiquitous fraudsters that are currently dominating the Nigerian landscape (how right she was after all!). But after she was duly convinced by her caller that he was genuinely calling from Globacom, she believed him.

And that was when her “ordeal” began. Since she was told she needed an International passport to process her winnings, which she did not have at that point in time, she had to sell the deep freeze with which she was doing petty trading of soft-drinks in her small shop in Oshogbo to procure an "express" (fast-tracked) International passport before she could travel down to Lagos for the proccessing of her travelling to Dubai through Glo. But alas, it turned out to be a fraud that she initially suspected. As a matter of fact, she had to travel twice risking her life on the accident-prone Nigerian roads. The first time was to Lagos and the second time was to Ibadan as directed by the Glo official relating with her, Mr. Wole Bankole. An enquiry at the Glo office by this blogger has revealed that Mr. Bankole is still working with Glo.

Meanwhile, after she had been deceived into letting her picture be used in some national dailies by Glo, like many other victims of the grand fraud, through the presentation of dummy flight tickets to them, communication was deliberately cut off with her by Mr. Bankole like he did in the case of Lasisi Alliu Olasunkanmi you read earlier on this blog. Of more disturbing proportion is the finding at Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s Lagos Zonal office few days back that cases like that emanating from one promo or the other abound against Glo. And that none like that has been brought against other telephone networks in the country. No wonder Folashade had to abandon the Glo line she was using after the frustration she got from them, for two years and still counting, in the course of processing her winnings. Is Glo really "unlimited" like their new advertising slogan states? Someone needs to provide answers fast.

Watch out for other victims of the Globacom’s Fraud Unlimited Promo stories in these series. It promises to be a soap opera of sort…

Update on Globacom’s Fraudulent Promo Story:

*NCC, NLRC Wade In For The Victims

*How Another Victim Got #5OOK  Compensation

Just like it was promised on this blog that the fraud that is fraught with the Globacom’s “Win A Trip To Dubai” promo conducted in September, 2011, in which 4 established winners in the promo were left without being granted deliverables from their winnings 2 years after, would be followed to its logical conclusion, further steps have been taken by this blogger in fulfilling that promise.

About 2 weeks ago, this blogger together with a friend who is the Publisher of Islanders International Magazine, Ola Mohammed, paid a visit to the Lagos Zonal Office of the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC) where they met with the Zonal Controller, Mr. N. Nwadike. And in the course of their discussion over the “shameful act”, the two journalists were made to realize that cases like that abound against Globacom. Even, with some emanating from the same promo conducted in 2011 for which 4 of its victims were being made a case for by the 2 journalists. An example of a young boy who won in the 3^rd category of the same promo and was supposed to have gone to London to watch a Manchester United match was cited. And the Zonal Director reflected on how he had to drive the victim to Globacom’s office a number of times during which he gave the officials of the company they met with, a serious dress down.

He narrated how the Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) had to be drafted into the matter at a point in time. “The NCC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NLRC that empowers the NLRC to take charge of matters emanating from lottery issues involving any telecommunication company.” The Zonal Controller clearly declared. And that was why the NLRC had to be drafted into the matter of the boy that won an all expenses paid trip to watch Manchester United in London but was eventually left in the lurch by Globacom. However, as at the morning of the day the 2 journalists paid a visit to the NCC’s Zonal Office, the Zonal Controller who said he had just returned from a trip abroad put a call across to their Abuja Headquarters to get an update on the matter of the boy being handled by them in conjunction with the NLRC and he was told that the boy had eventually been awarded a sum of five hundred thousand naira (#500,000.000) by Globacom in liu of his failed trip. 

The phone numbers of the NLRC officials who handled the matter were later released to the journalists to relate with them. And when the numbers (none of the numbers was glo) were called, the journalist were told to write an official letter to the Director of NLRC on behalf of the victims stating their cases and copies of their evidence should be attached to the letter. And that is being done already.

This blogger would keep you posted as events on the matter continue to unfold. It’s no retreat no surrender.

*Mike Adenuga’s Globacom Promo Fraud Latest:

*Top Glo Officials Beg Blogger To Remove “Win A Trip To Dubai”Fraud Story

*Promise To “SORT HIM OUT” When Their Boss Returns From South Africa

Just few days after it broke out on this blog, there is a new and curious development with the Mike Adenuga owned Globacom Telecommunications’ story on “Win A Trip To Dubai” promotion conducted in 2011 in which 4 winners have been SOLIDLY established to have been “defrauded” out of their winnings to travel to Dubai as advertised in selected national dailies when the promotion was done 2 years ago. Now instead of trying to reach out to the winners to right the wrong of the past, some top officials of the big telecoms company are rather scheming how to sweep everything under the carpet.

According to our findings, after discovering this story on one of the popular blogs that culled it from here, some top glo officials, allegedly, reached out to one popular journalist who is their friend to help in talking to the blogger to remove the story promising that they would “SORT HIM OUT” (bribe him) when a particular boss of theirs returns from South Africa. And that is the height of corruption that is currently going on in a“PROUDLY NIGERIAN” company. A clear slap on the once upon a time federal government’s image laundering project floated with: “Nigeria, Good People, Great Nation” mantra. What an irony!

However, that attempt of theirs, which is obviously true because the blogger has clearly removed the culled story like they requested in readiness for the sorting out, has failed because this blog www.saheedojubanire.blospot.com will never be compromised until the matter is followed to its logical conclusion. Just like it did with the Zenon Oil Boss, Femi Otedola versus Ex-Lover, Oluyinka Odukoya,’s story which also broke out on this blog. This is indeed, a seasonal film, and it has just begun. Watch out for next episode next week…

Note: Names of the blogger, his blog and that of the popular journalist who spoke with him on behalf of glo, are deliberated omitted. But might be revealed should the need arise!

*“Fraud” Unlimited Rocks Globacom Telecommunications

*As 4 Winners Of “Win A Trip To Dubai” In 2011 Are Left Without Even A Glo(w) Of Smile Almost 2 Years After

“Globacom Has Refused To Take Us To Dubai After Giving Us Dummy Tickets And Using Our Pictures In National Dailies As Winners”—Victim

“I Was Not Here When The Promo Was Done. Are You Sure This Is Not Photoshop…?”—Confused Glo Official

When you listen to radio or watch television these days, you are sure to see the new Globacom Telecommunications advert which moved from using “Rule Your World” as their pay off line to using “ Glo Unlimited”. But the one million dollar question here is: Is Glo Truly Unlimited? If it is, how unlimited it is? By the time you are through with this story you would form your own opinion. But as far as this blogger is concerned in the context of this story and his findings, it is a clear case of “Fraud Unlimited”.

Lasisi Alliu Olasunkanmi is a hard-working bricklayer in his late 20s and a glo mobile subscriber. He is based in Ayobo-Ipaja, a Lagos suburb. Sometime in September 2011, he was on site working when his phone rang and on looking at the phone's screen, the caller’s number was 121. Impulsively, he picked the call and he could not believe what the caller said. He was told his number had emerged as one of the lucky winners in the on-going glo promotion at that time for an all expenses paid “ Trip To Dubai’’ for three days and that he should come to glo office. At first, as a Nigerian, he wanted to dismiss the call as one of the usual tricks by fraudsters looking for unsuspecting victims to exploit. So, he intelligently asked that how much should he bring along and he was told that he didn’t need to bring any money. He was asked whether he has International Passport and Driver’s License. And he responded that he has only the International Passport. He was told to come all the same to their Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island Headquarters.

So, when he got home from work he went straight to his pastor, Rev. T.A. Babatunde who also as Nigerian told him that the caller must be a fraudster but promised go with him all the same to glo office on the appointed date to confirm. Meanwhile, he had been given this number: 08055570212 when he was called with 121, said to belong to one Mr. Bankole in the glo Marketing Communications Department for him to call when he get to their office. And when he and his pastor got to glo office, they called and met with the said Mr. Bankole who cross-checked his number on their data base. His number was the first on the “Trip To Dubai” list and he was congratulated by Mr. Bankole. He didn’t know that the congratulations was all he was going to get as the dream of travelling to Dubai for three days began to “glow” on the screen of his mind.

He was later told to bring his International Passport few days after which he did on a Monday. And afterwards, he was given an appointment, like they must have told other winners to come on a particular day for the formalties.

On the appointed date, all the celebrity glo ambassadors were reportedly on ground with other winners and they were all given either dummy checks or dummy tickets as applicable. There were three different categories of winners in the promotion. First category won one million naira, second category won "Trip To Dubai" and third category won "Watch Man. United Live in the UK." And that was when the part of the fraud called promotion was committed against the whole of Nigeria. The pictures of the winners were all taken and the next day it hit the centre spread of some national dailies to convince everyone that the promotion was real. But Alliu’s case as you read this and three other established cases: Adediran Folashade in Osun state, Adebola Olasimbo in Yaba Lagos and Taiwo Ariyo Nurudeen in Osun state, has proven otherwise. If anything, it has been “Fraud Unlimited” since 2011.

After their images had been fraudulently used to project the image of glo as socially responsible organization in the national dailies and making other Nigerians to believe the national lie, the mentioned winners above were told to keep calling Mr. Bankole who told them they would be travelling by January, 2012. But when they called him in January, he said there was a fuel subsidy removal crisis in the name of "Occupy Nigeria" and that flight could not operate. So, he urged them to tarry a little till after the crisis would be resolved. But alas, when the “Occupy Nigeria” was over, it became “Occupy Mr. Bankole’s Phone” for the winners in question as he constantly refused to pick their calls any more. Each time they tried his line with another number not known to him, the line would go off once he realized it was any of them calling.

In the course of investigating this story, this blogger also tried Mr. Bankole’s line and the response was constantly that the line had been diverted to another line which did not have enough credit to receive calls. A glo official in the Marketing “Communications” Department not having enough credit on his line to receive calls? That smacks of another fraud on its own. But not satisfied yet, this blogger paid a visit to glo office on Victoria Island to get the other side of the story. On getting to the gilded Mike Adenuga Tower, on Mike Adenuga Close, Off Adeola Odeku street, this blogger was redirected by one of the security guys to 3, Ologun Agbeje street, just adjacent  to the Mike Adenuga Close where the Marketing Communications arm of the company was said to be located.

And a drama of sort began on reaching the office. First, the ill-trained security guys said they could not direct this blogger to anyone who could speak for glo. But not satisfied, this blogger insisted he had to see someone due to the magnitude of the story. And when the security guys realized that this blogger was not ready to give up, they told him to approach a particular averagely tall Ibo man with a little heavy moustache said to be in the PR section who was about to make his way in from the gate. And that’s what this blogger did which resulted in the conversation below:

“Who told you to ask for me,” he fired. “Nobody. I only need someone I can speak with over a story of fraud involving glo that I’m working on.” This blogger replied. But he kept moving away towards the entrance into their office without saying a word and this blogger needed to ask him whether he should follow him before he reluctantly gestured yes. On entering the reception and the facts of the case were presented to him by way of printed copies of Alliu carrying their dummy ticket and his picture appearing as number one winner in the Sun newspaper. The PR man, who said he was not with glo when the promo was staged in 2011, asked a dumb question. “Are you sure this is not photoshop?’’ And this blogger almost responded that: “No, it is photosupermarket!”

And as if that folly of his was not enough, when he requested to go and make photocopies of the "exhibits", he later came out with one of the security guys at the gate whom he must have phoned to come upstairs to ask this blogger: “what did you tell him at the gate (gesturing to the security guy)?” And looking very embarrassed, this blogger responded: “what did he tell you I told him?” “I’m asking you a question,” he said authoritatively. And being well prepared for a situation like that, “I’m asking you a question too,” this blogger responded. And when he realized this dude is a hard nut to crack, “he said you told him you are a student carrying out a research on glo,” he challenged. Isn’t that funny? Would a student brandish a press ID card to enter a place where he has not come to seek a favour but assist them in telling their own side of a reputation damaging story? Besides, what is that compared to the damning issue on ground? And here is a PR man for that matter who also said it was a crime for a journalist to possess the ID card of a media house he freelances for. Glo is truly a "Nigerian company."

However, he made the photocopies he requested and returned the original copies. He asked for full name of this blogger, email address and phone number which were all written on the back of his photocopies including this blog’s address. Few minutes later, this blogger took his leave after the rain that was falling had subsided. And that was on Thursday, 18^th July, 2013. By the morning of Friday, 19^th July around 10 am, the PR man called this blogger with this number: 08055578671 asking for the phone number with which Alliu won his Trip To Dubai. And he was told it was not only Alliu that is in that situation. He responded that others' numbers should be sent as a text message too to him. He was sent two of the four numbers on Saturday, 20^th July, 2013. 

Later in the evening, he replied with a text message that he had forwarded the numbers to the person who would verify them. But it’s been a week after; no response has come from glo. A call was put to the PR man on Thursday, 25^th July, and he said the person carrying out the cross-checking had not got back to him. And he even promised to text the number of the “slow” verifier to this blogger which he has refused to do as you read this. The question here is: doesn’t glo have a data base from which the verification could be done in few minutes, if they really want to do it. That smacks of a conspiracy of silence within the Marketing Communications arm of glo because the PR man during his rude encounter with this blogger hinted that the said Mr. Bankole “is still in the system”. Perhaps, he must have substituted Alliu and others with members of his own family members thinking they would remain voiceless forever. But now that this blogger is on it, there is no resting for the bad eggs until these four winners get their deliverables as deserved.

PS: Probably due to printer’s devil, Alliu’s name is mistakenly written as Olasunkanmi Taofeek (Lagos) in the Sun publication. But his face is unmistakably on it. The story continues and it’s ready to “go unlimited” not “glo unlimited” till it is brought to a logical conclusion…