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  • Attitude, Change, Choice, National Issues, Nigeria, NNC, Success Principles, Wealth

The Lure of Easy Money

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One of the ills I see in our society is the elevated position money is given. Not money literally though, I don’t have an issue with people being awarded for making money, where I see a problem, is where money is celebrated in our society without any consideration to the source of the money. We celebrate wealth without paying attention to the values that created them – hence we celebrate thieves, fraudsters, and all forms of illegalities. It’s this same craze, that has gotten over our young ones and now, they have moved from online scams to daylight robbery to seeking the help of spirtualists in getting wealth.

I  heard a few stories lately that didn’t go down well with me, and I feel responsible to the public and my readers to educate, inspire and motivate our collectively pushing forward the right values. Money is good only when it’s source is good. Money is good only if gotten from means that add value to others. Good money must leave a value trail. On the surface level, what I just wrote sounds pretty simple, but it’s not.

Story 1.

This might sound to you like a Joke, but I heard it happened for real. A man calls his son, and has the following conversation with him

Father: My son, I have just decided to call you based on an issue that is really disturbing for me. My grandfather died a poor man, my father also was not rich. I am 65yrs old this year, and I’m not rich, you also are beginning to thread a similar path. My son, I don’t know the details of this business deal you are working on, but if by the end of this year, you don’t make money, please come and carry me and use me to do money! Please my son, somebody in our family must make this money!

I understand that the father’s pastor was the one who related this story.

Story 2.

A woman calls her husband, and asks him that since all these days that they have been working, what do they have to show for it? She then tells him, if he does not think it would be a good decision for them to seek the services of a traditionalist to make “money medicine”. The husband was shocked to his pants, and shared his concern with one of my mentors.

Story 3.

Last week, some of thieves notorious for robbing people on the road between Sagamu and Ijebu Ode got caught. These thieves had made it a regular event to stop and rob people of their cars and possessions. When they were caught they were all discovered to be university students, what you will know as university big boys all from the same school.

Story 4.

A secondary school novelty match was being organized, students from these schools were going to play football against each other in the cheering precense of their classmates. The match is going to take place this week, and I got information from one of the teachers, that the schools are using mercenary – i.e young people that are not students of any school, simply hired to represent the school for money. In response to my utter bewilderment, I was asked how I thought the exams were done, and wether I knew that parents and teachers collaborate to ensure that students passed at all costs.

Story 5.

Two students of the same university a boy and a girl, sign a life time marriage contract, on the basis that the girl would be used for some type of healthy ritual to get wealth, while they both enjoy it’s fruits. She wasn’t going to die, but she was given certain rules and regulations by a traditionalist, the guy is assured of wealth as long as the terms of the blood covenant with the girl is unbroken. I was told this by someone who knows the lady in question directly. She literally sold her soul to the devil and entered into a relationship to guarantee wealth at the tender age of less than 24!

What do all these stories have in common? One thing, a resolve to get results and money without consideration of the source. When I look and see that these ills have already stretched as far as into our secondary school, and yes, primary school educations, I fear, fear!

There are two ways to motivate, there is the carrot and there is the stick. We motivate when we applaud behaviours we want to see, we also motivate when we punish  behaviours we don’t want repeated. There is no future for a nation whose people celebrate behaviours that will lead us all to collective ruin. He lives in a mansion, he has a 10 digit balance sheet, he rides a flashy car, he’s the richest man in Lagos, that’s all we really ever get to hear. Perhaps it’s all we care to ask for. It’s so rampant now, that people would quite easily sell their souls to the devil to have their own traditionally customized cardless ATM machines in their own rooms!

“Agba o kin wa loja ki ori omo tun tun o wo” – It is a taboo for our nation to have elders and we allow the head of a baby come out in bad shape. Of what use is our experience, our elderliness, our values, if we watch as our national values degrade in broad day light! I believe in a New Nigeria, but we’ll not get into a New Nigeria wishing it, we need to have stronger punitive measures for wrong behaviour, we need to sing louder praise and accolade for well gotten wealth. Rather than bombard us with why the koko does her why, why doesnt the media bombard us more with the how’s to the what’s that we know so well? He is the richest man in xyz, but does it not matter that he’s into cocain? He lives in a mansion, but is it okay that he’s a pimp? He’s loaded, don’t you care that he’s perpetrating credit card fraud? He’s stinking rich, don’t you care that the real stink is from offering up another human? Where is the celebration of hard work? Where is the celebration of service? Where is the celebration of value? Where is the applause for innovation, for invention, for creation? Where is praise for balance, for impact, for leadership and support?

As a society we must be more inquisitive, we must celebrate wealth but slowly. We must seek to understand before we applaud. If we don’t understand the why of wealth we can’t replicate it, if why doesn’t matter, then our young people will get it, at any cost! We need to place emphasis on entrepreneurship, on developing personal value and profiting from it. Let it be linear selling or multilevel marketing, let it be service or product, but let it add value. Let it be manufacturing, brokering, or consulting, but let it require effort, time and not be harmful to the life of others. But we must educate our environment on the right concept of labour, and place back the dignity in labour.

We are fast slipping into a generation that asks for an opportunity to just “put in the money, do nothing and get rewards”, “put in the girlfriend, do no work and get money”, “put in for the exam, don’t read and pass”. We want it now, but don’t pay attention to how it comes, that generation is heading south! We need to rescue our nation, our society, our people. That campaign needs to start from you, refuse to be a part of the decay, and don’t look so far at the government, ask, what are you and I doing about these anomalies…?

Adeolu Akinyemi

Adeolu Akinyemi

30 thoughts on “The Lure of Easy Money”

  1. Tony kolawole
    October 21, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    Wow! Our country Nigeria has degenerated into a nation that has no place for integrity.If we really desire a better Naija we must shun corruption and place more value on integrity.

    Reply
  2. Mo
    October 21, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    Wow

    Dee,this piece struck a cord in my heart and I will tell you why. I’ve always been a driven person and now after reading this I wonder if my passion to achieve can ever push me to extremes as you describe in the write-up. However, I still feel guilt about the drive I get to succeed except that I will never be moved to such extremes. I can conviniently say that our society is a very competitive-Nigeria-there’s the need to actually channel such to other positive things. I’m for competition-its healthy however I wished even if these people got these illegal funds, that they used it to further the cause of creating more wealth.

    The wealth of the largest Nations were plunders of other less priviledged peoples-name it,slavery,colonialism,the bank robber barons of the wild wild west in USA who built the railway empires & oil empires-they cleaned up their acts and added value. This is the fundamental difference.

    Can we increase the level of creativity within our people such that even when they acquire stupendous wealth, that they use it to create more rather than just BLOW IT! Our culture of waste and consumerism is even worse than that of the illegal aquisition of the funds. Our people in Nigeria rarely find solutions to problems in order to make more money rather we’re satisfied with spending any spare change on looking good and flossing!

    Reply
  3. Omooba
    October 21, 2008 at 2:06 pm

    Sometimes one wonders if things have not really gone way too bad to be repaired, but I believe things can still turn around for the better – it will just take some time.

    You rightly said that indiscipline should be punished, and seriously so, there should be emphasis from all who care enough to reorientate their circle of influence. We can no longer fold our arms and expect that things will change for the better. We must start to take immediate action. God help us. God bless Nigeria.

    Reply
  4. Emog
    October 21, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    This is the time to take a stand for what is right and to make conscious effort to celebrate the right values rather than ill-gotten wealth.

    Reply
  5. Royal_Prince
    October 21, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Hmm! I actually lack words to really comment on this issue. The problem apart from being a result of lack of personnal values, is also due to institutional failures. A lot of institutions have failed us. A situation where a proprietor of a school would hire mercenaries to ensure that his school comes out on top in external exams; where government would refuse to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials and politicians instead, offering them cover; where a church would confer knighthood on a confirmed cultist, or organise launching with dubious and corrupt politicians as the chief launchers; where a family (parents) would pay through their nose to secure admission for the wards; where our traditional rulers would confer titles on celebrated rogues, at times amidst of corruption charges; the list could go on and on;
    Very sad indeed!
    Just let your light so shine before men in that your little corner that they may see your good works. But if it is to combat these anomalies, then the different institutions must awake to thier responsibilties.

    Reply
  6. Topsie
    October 21, 2008 at 4:07 pm

    Within our various circles of influence, large or small, we must make our voices heard, and let our stand be very clear; we must be a reason why that young lady or guy still believes that true and clean wealth is built and possible.

    Reply
  7. Pingback: The Lure of Easy Money | Schools online

  8. Bussee
    October 21, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    @CM………hmmm……thanks for shouting out loud….most people prefer the “I can’t shout mode”…..may their generations unborn shout at them!

    I went to speak somewhere today courtesy of your influence and even though I was asked to speak on the stock market and IT, I couldn’t help but change the direction of the presentation to VALUES.

    I kept telling my colleague who went with me that too many people are talking about IT, Wealth and the stock market…. More people must talk about values till we begin to imbibe them.

    I can mention the 10 richest men in Nigeria. I can not however speak in detail about how they made their wealth.

    God help us…we will succeed by His grace

    Reply
  9. Abidemi Oderinlo
    October 21, 2008 at 7:12 pm

    Ara mee ri ri, mo ri ori ologbo laa té
    Only God can save the situation..
    but i know that things are geting better

    Reply
  10. Michael Faust
    October 21, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    Brilliant work. When society stops looking at the goverment and others to blame for the problems of the world and looks in the mirror first to see that it all starts with “me” first, only then will the world change. If you want people to serve you better, provide better service. If you more friends, be a better friend. If you want to be blessed, start blessing others first. We can change the world, one decision at a time, one person at a time.

    Reply
  11. Bash Y
    October 22, 2008 at 6:04 am

    Our elders say: “the love of money is the root of all evil.” We should not be celebrating financial wealth at all! It is the other types of wealth that should and need to be espoused – wealth of character, wealth of integrity, wealth of intelligence, etc. We lost our values at some point, and each one of us has to be brutally honest and self-reflect to determine whether one is part of the problem or the solution – there’s no in-between, and adjust accordingly.

    Reply
  12. Dolly
    October 22, 2008 at 7:15 am

    What role models do we have?
    How many known wealthy Nigerian men/women can one use as a pure example of getting rich slowly through hard work?

    Reply
  13. Akinyemi Abiola
    October 22, 2008 at 9:41 am

    @Dolly,

    (that role model…) e fit be u o

    😉

    Reply
  14. Akinyemi Abiola
    October 22, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Look what found

    “Life is so short, we must move very slowly.”
    Thai proverb

    I guess the reason is so that we don’t get to our end too quickly

    Reply
  15. Ify Okocha
    October 22, 2008 at 11:26 am

    Hmmnn…., its for that that we all need to do watever little thing n much shouting we might be required to do in any situation we find ourselves where we might be asked to compromise for ‘wealth’ or ‘success’ that will definitely not stand the test but bring sorrow at the end. We must really stand not in our own power but in the wisdom of Christ knowing that we have a higher callin n therefore choose to stand without compromise.
    N i defiitely think compromise is compromise, it doesnt matter hw just very little u had to look the other way.Its really bad enough that young pple now prefer to walk the smooth n easy way to wealth rather than the ‘steady walk but definitely getting there strides’ to true wealth n prosperity, however,the proprietress n parent that gets someone to help write n pass exams for their wards while they laze, would one day have to answer, n God help them someday….
    i really believe theres hope no matter how deep the decay, it just takes everyone, doing all they can do n then STAND!

    Reply
  16. Bukola Ajayi
    October 22, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    Hmmmm. Again, I say we are in a perverse and corrupt generation. It’s all crazy. What won’t people do for money. No wonder the holy book says “The love of money is the root of evil…”

    May God help us. It really is pathetic…what people do to get money…the money they’ll never take to the grave.

    Reply
  17. Tunne
    October 22, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    I am not surprised. I have heard things along these same dimensions.

    I fear for my generation…my former landlord whose son is into yahoo yahoo “saves” the money for his son. The boy, a 19year old boy has built a house from the proceeds of yahoo yahoo. What is the difference between this and a man who pats his son on the bank and says “well done, my son” when the boy returns from an armed robbery operation?

    Reply
  18. Tunji
    October 22, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Mo,

    What’re you saying? What do you mean by:

    “I’m for competition-its healthy however I wished even if these people got these illegal funds, that they used it to further the cause of creating more wealth…
    …Can we increase the level of creativity within our people such that even when they acquire stupendous wealth, that they use it to create more rather than just BLOW IT! Our culture of waste and consumerism is even worse than that of the illegal aquisition of the funds.”

    How do you expect to plant corn seeds and then harvest wheat? Ill gotten wealth can never generate a sustained and productive wealth. You dont change values like you change clothes: The values you used to create your wealth are the same ones you’ll need to sustain it. A man made his wealth by rituals, how on earth would he be able to teach his kids to make money through healthy competition, creativity and hard work? You can’t impart what you don’t know.

    And I dont agree with your idea that “The wealth of the largest Nations were plunders of other less priviledged peoples…” We all know we humans are not perfect: while these big nations have lots of dirty past, it would be myopic to say that the foundation of their prosperity is essentially evil. America’s founding fathers believed fervently in the ways of God, and same could be said about many ancient civilizations.

    Reply
  19. Gbenga Aijotan
    October 22, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    On a daily basis, i am faced with many people who wants to make money without working. They get to call me, asking how to be rich without involving any level of work. Infact, one of them did ask me to create an automated cash machine formula. I simply replied outrightly that THERE IS NONE. If you want to be wealthy, you have to work for it (physically, mentally etc). I have come to discover that until we stop celebrating materialism, until the culture of “making a statement by acquiring physical luxury” is discouraged…….this will continue.

    Bro Deolu, Nice one from you. many more, will be blessed by this article, months to come, even when you’ve forgotten that you wrote it.

    Reply
  20. Olaoluwa
    October 22, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    What do you expect when we celebrate crooks and thieves, all in the name of money,(Na the pickin wey bring money come house, na hin mama go praise)is the slogan.Until we start celebrating the right value,we are heading for a wrong path, and it must start from homes.

    Reply
  21. Sam Aderibigbe
    October 23, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    Our value orientation in this country is greatly skewered especially when it comes to money issues. People celebrate instant success without bothering to know the source of the success. Should i say its poverty that has brought about this or abject ignorance of sound ethical values and principles? I really don’t know.

    Only God (or we ourselves) can help us!

    Reply
  22. Bodeomos
    October 23, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    Its not suprising at all. these things happen and we all know it. Who is to blame – Government, then ourselves for not knowing God. Know God and you will have Riches of PEACE.
    Its only God that can save the situation, our Pastors need to get real and do the Job. A lot of SOULS need to be saved.

    Reply
  23. P. Standard
    October 24, 2008 at 8:36 am

    i totally agree with u deolu. there is something inspiring and changing about drawing from the lifes of positives examples especially in Men and women of value. i think one major way of change in the society is reorientation through relevant institutional structures. one of such could be religion. imagine if all churches, mosques keep saying the same thing on values, hardwork and integrity, don’t u think we will be moving towards reorientating people? though u can’t force people to behave well, but u can influence them positively towards change. i speak as a man…..

    Reply
  24. jay write
    October 24, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    hi sir,

    The lure of money is so great, people hardly realise what brings real satisfaction. Real satisfaction do not come from a fat bamk account, sleek cars, mansions etc, it comes from doing what you have passion for which must include adding value to others and impacting your society.

    the greatest man who ever lived onced said: “their is more joy in giving that their is in receiving,” when you add value you are giving and you will fill fulfilled.

    selflessness is the key word. you want money, when you get it what will you do with it? how many lives do you want to add value to? food for thought.

    Reply
  25. Mo
    October 24, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    @ Tunji

    I just meant to underscore the minds of our people which seems very consumer oriented rather than create more wealth especially for more people rather than themselves.

    The point I was trying to make here is that e.g Deolu makes money and tries to expand his wealth, creativity to many others. If only more people did so…unfortunately even those who accumulate wealth legally do not try to extend it to other people.

    We will get there, YES WE WILL.

    Reply
  26. Tunji
    October 25, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    @ Mo

    YES WE WILL.

    Reply
  27. Oladeji Yesufu
    October 27, 2008 at 9:00 am

    Jay, i totally agree with your comment; we celebrate wealth without knowing it’s source and the thought values behind that wealth.Look at the case of the father who helps his own son to bank money gotten from Yahoo-yahoo biz?it’s appaling to even think that some parents would encourage such an act,God is indeed a merciful Father.We shall surely surpass and climb out of this worm-filled pit,but as it has been said we need to change our values,and work on our system.

    Reply
  28. Iyere
    October 30, 2008 at 8:18 pm

    Going down momery lane, In the late 80’s while in secondary school in Benin City, outgoing prefects had a field dai in my school by collecting inducements from “incoming” prefects for positions. We;;,… the school authorities found out and made selection themselves and I became a prefect without giving bribe.

    Most of those involved in the act then are today in positions of authority.

    In my second year in the University (1987-88), the student union president was indicted for “chopping” Union money. Today he is a big man some where.

    What we are seeing is not new.

    Have you ever imagined what values these people will hand down to their children? NOTHING GOOD.

    Reply
  29. OMOZELE
    May 20, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    sir the problem we are having that is making ill gotten wealth celebrated is poverty. to tell the truth, if people in our societies are average citizens.i.e thay can afford the things that will make life better for them, they will be no room for all things. all we see today are people making bad choices because poverty has made them to compromise their standards and values. God help us.

    Reply
  30. IKOTUN ADEBISI
    May 20, 2009 at 2:36 pm

    so these things we watch on movies are really happening. who lives to enjoy the money gotten from rituals? the son that has no father again or the mother of the stupid son.
    God will save us from abject poverty in this country.

    Reply

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Many hold their audience spell bound with motivational speeches but few care to hold the audience by the hand and help them walk their way to financial freedom like he does. Many have failed at everything they have tried to do but everything he does turns to gold. Read more…

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