NIGERIA: THE DANGER OF RAPID BREEDING OF HUSHPUPPIES AROUND US
August 3, 2021 | News
As a nation that delights in celebrating fast wealth, many times ill-gotten, there are numerous Hushpuppies around us still flaunting their "money miss road" riches.
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA: THE DANGER of RAPID BREEDING OF HUSHPUPPIS AROUND US
Nigerians high propensity to celebrate ill-gotten wealth portends grave danger to her future generations.
Whether Kyari is guilty or innocent, it's common knowledge that the Nigerian society provides cover for fraudsters and sundry crimes.
Even politicians shamelessly woo fraudsters to get elections funding support.
?As a nation that delights in celebrating fast wealth, many times ill-gotten, there are numerous Hushpuppies around us still flaunting their "money miss road" riches.
And the more the majority gullible Nigerian populace cheers these magic billionaires, unfeeling about the genuineness of the often questionable sources of such sudden wealth, the more Hushpuppies we are breeding, voluntarily or inadvertently.
The danger we are blinded to is that we are building a huge population of morally decadent future leaders of tomorrow who believe that one does not have to struggle to build a good name and live a comfortable life.
Many now feel all it takes to live on the fast lane, soft work they call it, is to grow into a top fraudster, kill or indulge in rituals for riches, break oil pipes or engage in just about any money spinning criminality to make stupendous wealth and flaunt it.
It is a measure of how pretentious we are as a people that Nigerians are feeling so shocked by the US link of super cop, Abba Kyari, to fraudster, Hushpuppi and his scams. Suddenly pictures of Kyari association with Hushpuppi and others youthful magic billionaires are popping up as if Nigerians only just noticed how odd it seems because of the US allegations.
Why should any Nigerian be surprised? As a super cop, the compromised Nigerian system allows the likes of Kyari to carry out their crime fighting excellence with double face.
When it suits them, they use their proficiency and privileged positions to put criminals behind bars. At other times they deploy same influence ascribed to them by the state to aid and abet or cover up crimes.
Whether Kyari is proven guilty or innocent wouldn't erase the fact or past instances of some law enforcement agents providing guns and cover for armed robbers, to recall the romance between late Anini led robbery gang and the then Police Officer, Iyamu in Edo state.
Also, one of the reasons the trial of super-rich kidnapper, Evans, hadn't received the speed and openness it deserved is the open secret that he had top connections with some super star police officers under his payroll.
Kyari is not alone in police romance with fraudsters. Even budding scammers or 419 startups move about with hired security details, some of who serve as security escorts or guards in their mansions. And it is not just only police protection that encourages Nigeria growing populations of yahoo boys. Bank official protect their stuffed account when they "pick" or "hammer" as they say, against CBN rules. And parents and friends celebrate them as well.
Guilty or not, it's a dent on Kyari's remarkable career profile, a mud on the Nigerian police image to find him in such intimacy with a fraudster. If the ordinary Nigerian didn't know Hushpuppi was a scammer, Kyari with his super police sense can't claim innocence.
But it is not only Kyari or the police that should be shamed for frolicking with fraudsters. Hushpuppi enjoyed as much romance with some top Nigerian politicians, including governors, lawmakers and other high profile office holders as emerging pictures have shown. Such intimacy is not by coincidence. Some top Nigerian Politicians enjoy funding support from the likes of Hushpuppi during elections.
And just imagine Hushpuppi claiming that his key source of magic wealth was his social media, particularly Instagram followership, estimated at over two million. Assuming without conceding to such blatant lies, was that enough for him to live large like he owns the world?
In just a single post of one photo after Argentina won the Copa America, global football icon, Lionel Messi, got 20Million Instagram followers responding. But he doesn't go about flaunting his enormous, well-earned wealth.
Until our Nigerian society questions, rejects and expose ill-gotten wealth and the impunity with which those who amass it flaunt it, we will continue to breed Hushpuppies among us.
Zik Gbemre.
August 3, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA: THE DANGER of RAPID BREEDING OF HUSHPUPPIS AROUND US
Nigerians high propensity to celebrate ill-gotten wealth portends grave danger to her future generations.
Whether Kyari is guilty or innocent, it's common knowledge that the Nigerian society provides cover for fraudsters and sundry crimes.
Even politicians shamelessly woo fraudsters to get elections funding support.
?As a nation that delights in celebrating fast wealth, many times ill-gotten, there are numerous Hushpuppies around us still flaunting their "money miss road" riches.
And the more the majority gullible Nigerian populace cheers these magic billionaires, unfeeling about the genuineness of the often questionable sources of such sudden wealth, the more Hushpuppies we are breeding, voluntarily or inadvertently.
The danger we are blinded to is that we are building a huge population of morally decadent future leaders of tomorrow who believe that one does not have to struggle to build a good name and live a comfortable life.
Many now feel all it takes to live on the fast lane, soft work they call it, is to grow into a top fraudster, kill or indulge in rituals for riches, break oil pipes or engage in just about any money spinning criminality to make stupendous wealth and flaunt it.
It is a measure of how pretentious we are as a people that Nigerians are feeling so shocked by the US link of super cop, Abba Kyari, to fraudster, Hushpuppi and his scams. Suddenly pictures of Kyari association with Hushpuppi and others youthful magic billionaires are popping up as if Nigerians only just noticed how odd it seems because of the US allegations.
Why should any Nigerian be surprised? As a super cop, the compromised Nigerian system allows the likes of Kyari to carry out their crime fighting excellence with double face.
When it suits them, they use their proficiency and privileged positions to put criminals behind bars. At other times they deploy same influence ascribed to them by the state to aid and abet or cover up crimes.
Whether Kyari is proven guilty or innocent wouldn't erase the fact or past instances of some law enforcement agents providing guns and cover for armed robbers, to recall the romance between late Anini led robbery gang and the then Police Officer, Iyamu in Edo state.
Also, one of the reasons the trial of super-rich kidnapper, Evans, hadn't received the speed and openness it deserved is the open secret that he had top connections with some super star police officers under his payroll.
Kyari is not alone in police romance with fraudsters. Even budding scammers or 419 startups move about with hired security details, some of who serve as security escorts or guards in their mansions. And it is not just only police protection that encourages Nigeria growing populations of yahoo boys. Bank official protect their stuffed account when they "pick" or "hammer" as they say, against CBN rules. And parents and friends celebrate them as well.
Guilty or not, it's a dent on Kyari's remarkable career profile, a mud on the Nigerian police image to find him in such intimacy with a fraudster. If the ordinary Nigerian didn't know Hushpuppi was a scammer, Kyari with his super police sense can't claim innocence.
But it is not only Kyari or the police that should be shamed for frolicking with fraudsters. Hushpuppi enjoyed as much romance with some top Nigerian politicians, including governors, lawmakers and other high profile office holders as emerging pictures have shown. Such intimacy is not by coincidence. Some top Nigerian Politicians enjoy funding support from the likes of Hushpuppi during elections.
And just imagine Hushpuppi claiming that his key source of magic wealth was his social media, particularly Instagram followership, estimated at over two million. Assuming without conceding to such blatant lies, was that enough for him to live large like he owns the world?
In just a single post of one photo after Argentina won the Copa America, global football icon, Lionel Messi, got 20Million Instagram followers responding. But he doesn't go about flaunting his enormous, well-earned wealth.
Until our Nigerian society questions, rejects and expose ill-gotten wealth and the impunity with which those who amass it flaunt it, we will continue to breed Hushpuppies among us.
Zik Gbemre.
August 3, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes