Money & prayer blessed a country into world’s capital of poverty

If you think money is everything, examine how it turned the most religious Country into the Poverty Capital of the world. When you get to a point when money is no longer your problem but how to spend it, you have a greater problem. Many people prefer the greater problem of how to spend money than not to have it. An older guy once advised a young man then; that the most embarrassing situation in life is not to have money when you need it.

Some Africans ran a country flowing with honey and wara into the ground because they had the greater problem of how to spend money they never created. They think their way to happiness is to live mightily at the expense of those that have a little or without basic needs. They became the only shining stars on the hill being bowed to and worshipped like gods. Ignoramus willing to deprive others of basic means of sustainability as long as they accumulate loot to the point of impoverishing their own countries.

It is hard enough to imagine the suicide of a poor man that gave up hope; the suicide of the rich and famous leave us staggered. Many reasons go through our heads, especially for a close friend or a relative. Despite the flamboyant happy face, many rich folks are not happy.

On their way up, some stepped on those less fortunate and even exploited others’ misery. Including those that are supposed to deliver our souls that preach to exploit us just to get rich. When vengeance comes calling, those contented with their wealth have nothing to fear.

The ability to spend the money you work hard for and the money you get as a freeloader are different. Easy come, easy go. But there are people who build castles from grass to grace. We must not discourage pathway to hard work and make it rich, otherwise most of us would sink into being freeloaders.

Free money kills the abilities to think, discover and more importantly, kill aspirations for success that have no monetary rewards. Some of the richest people in the world today developed passions that later turned out to be game changers generating money.

Yet, if you give everybody a million each to spend the way they want, at the end of a year or two, some will become billionaires while their counterparts will become penniless. The same is true of countries, such as ours. Astute businessman, late Chief Fajemirokun taught us that before you can distribute riches, you have to create wealth. You cannot distribute Poverty.

Narcissistic mentality from the exaggerated ego blind others to the needs and realities in front of their noses. Ostentatious and conspicuous spending are early symptoms of a constant void that feed their ego to make them happy until the sources of money runs dry or a backlash rendering their state repulsive. Spraying of money and "gifted" are prime cases in point.

In the first place, there are those that made the same amount of money or more and spent it like a drunken sailor. Yet they advise those that retained theirs, how to spend it. The more money you give some folks, the more they expect from you without creating value out of what they got. They see the government or you as a money machine showering prayers and praises on the givers instead of working for their own money.

Of course, the moment the money stops coming, the giver becomes their enemy. Many generous givers find these ingrates difficult to handle leading to disappointment, regrets and remorse. It is the beginning of the givers' depression. They empathize with those with a little money without expecting much or handouts in life. Many wondered if they would have been better off if they were poor and had nothing to give. Nigeria could have been a better place without oil.

A homeless man without any responsibility may prefer his independence on the streets where shelter is available. In poor countries without shelters, some of the homeless hang around from one family member to another friend until they exhaust their welcome. A common answer from the homeless is their Independence or even preference to stay away from a crowd of dirty folks like them! Who takes in Nigerian refugees or says misery loves company?

Certainly, homeless folks are not who reasonable folks should envy but they do not commit suicide because they have nothing to live for. It is others that take their own lives for the same reasons. We have to wonder why a group of people that have nothing and those that have too much committed suicide while the same people in their groups stay alive and happy in their situation. Money, some people call spirit, may be too hot to handle if you don’t work for it.

Grown men and women that think money is everything must realize that the suicide of someone they know that had everything and more money than he could spend, also create a fault that is bigger than money. Money does not buy everything and certainly cannot buy common sense, management skills or love. Money only creates enormous responsibilities and demand beyond the capabilities of most individuals.

There are so many sorry stories of the need for money. A man that just got out of jail was allowed a visiting privilege to his son. They decided to stop at a grocery store where he bought most of the reasonable items the son wanted. Getting to the cashier, the son spotted a candy he wanted so much. The father had spent his last penny on the son. So he told the son: you cannot have everything. The son went into a tantrum saying the candy cost little. He was embarrassed as everyone looked at them.

He took his son back home to the mother with all the gifts he bought him. The mother was impressed as he left, telling the son how happy he must have been in the store with all the gifts the father bought him. The little son then answered his mom that he was until the father refused to buy the candy at the checkout.

The news later came that the father committed suicide because he felt disappointed that he could not afford to buy a common candy for his son. This is not about a kid but about the value of money and discipline. A kid is a kid and he had no fault in this. Any kid with money would want to buy everything in a candy store.

Poverty is real, especially in a country that enjoyed a better standard of living as a haven not only for Africans but for the Diaspora. Those old enough knew Nigeria accommodated everyone from all parts of the world. It is sad that out of all the countries that made money from oil since the Arab Oil Embargo in the 70s Nigeria is the only country that sank into the worst form of Poverty on Earth. Leaving the Country worse off than it was before Oil Income ever got in.