By Paul Nwosu
On the 16th of February, 2024, I wrote a piece on the newfangled culture where our moneyed youths spew currency notes in the air only to dance and trample on them. And this brazen breach of the law happens right in front of those who are supposed to enforce it. In fact, these supposed law enforcement agents are the ones who act as their security escorts to the event’s venue.
Bobrisky, the Lagos socialite, has been made a scapegoat. Arraigned before the court by EFCC, he earned the maximum jail term of 6 months with no option of fine. Cubana Chief Priest appears to be the next on the line. Who knows who will be the next?
One very obvious fallout from this is that it has modulated the manner in which people appreciate (spray) their hosts, celebrants, entertainers, etc. People are more circumspect now. Rather than fling wads of cash in the air, it is now common for guests to flip out their phones at events to transfer money to celebrants and musicians, or drop the physical cash in a receptacle placed by those (celebtants) whose friends and admirers wish to appreciate with cash gifts. In an even more preemptive manner, some celebrants would plant their account details on all the guests’ tables so that there won’t be any excuse for not doing the needful.
Some measure of sanity is beginning to return to circles of the rich young socialites. That is the purpose of the law and its enforcement. This is one of the reasons Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, has continued to harp on the need for law and order, for no modern society can make veritable progress without both.
Some say “spraying” money is part of our culture. But as a student of history, I’ve not read anywhere our forebears threw cowries in the air or pasted them on the foreheads of celebrants and entertainers in appreciation. Even in recent history when the culture creeped into our social events, it was done within the confines of civility and decency.
“Umu” Anambra are known to work hard for their money. And it will be most unfortunate if some of them have been sucked into this fad of throwing money in the air like volleyball just to prove they have arrived. That will be stretching youthful exuberance too far because Ndi Anambra are not known for that. It’s not even worth the risk as EFCC is now lurking around the corner to nab currency abuse offenders.
Our people have their peculiar ways of showing they’ve arrived. One of those ways is by contributing to the development of their communities, local governments or state. Other ways could be through human capital development e.g. scholarships, skills impartation and settlements, etc.
Thankfully, Governor Soludo has created an opportunity through the Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) for wealthy Ndi Anambra to commit their resources to tangible projects that will permanently elevate their stature among their people and etch their names in gold.
This is the way Ndi Anambra show they have arrived. “Akulueuno, okwuo onye kpalu ya”, that is, “when money is invested on the home front, it advertises who made it.”