I never followed Hushpuppi when he was active on social media, especially Instagram.
I came across his content, I mean who didn’t?
He was regarded as funny and he showcased a life people don’t even have the capacity in their minds to dream for themselves.
Hushpuppi was casual yet deliberate about showing off. He made fun of poverty and stunted with every post he posted. However, I did not really understand his source of wealth. Most of us didn’t. He wasn’t a musician or an actor or a producer or promoter. I didn’t know of any of his businesses. He didn’t seem to be a car dealer or sell luxury items. But I always wondered how he got his wealth.
The inane thing was when people wondered about his source; other people would say “people that won’t ask the source of your poverty when you were poor now want to know the source of your wealth.”
Very silly thinking.
One day, I came across Mompha on Instagram. I scrolled through his pictures and it was staggering. These guys were not posturing on social media. They were actively living the life. They were not paying 120k to take pictures in a private jet to post up. They were actually jet setting.
I won’t be stupid enough to pretend that making such wealth is impossible. There are very wealthy people that spend without batting an eyelid. But here is the thing. If we talk about Dangote, we all know he has an empire to support his billionaire status. If we talk about Otedola or Adenuga, we can pinpoint sources of their wealth. Being a Tinubu in this Lagos attributes a kind of wealth that is indisputable but also explicable (whether a bad source or a legal one).
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Now when people like Bobrisky stunt around; we know that they are creating a persona so that their ‘brand’ can attract endorsements. If a musician is posturing with expensive cars and houses, we know that their paycheck also depends on their image. It would be difficult to offer peanuts to someone that is doing well.
Now for the wahala.
There are people with no skill that we are aware of. No talent. No office or employees. Yet, these people come and flaunt wads of money dropping motivational quotes about hard work and ‘huzzling’. I am over forty. It is hard for me to drop my IQ and blindly admire anyone. But I have met young people who are impressed and oppressed; then depressed because these people who are their age mates seem to be doing very well.
So many people feel like failures because social media provides us a window to look into people’s lives and we always assume we see correctly.
Meanwhile, the proverbial one day for a thief happened last week and I have been giddy with happiness. Apparently, a known big boy in Bayelsa state that was a big spender in clubs and joints was caught in Abuja and accused of kidnapping. In the video, this guy, known as John Lyon, was wearing his boxers and was in cuffs; kneeling and begging on the floor. It is alleged that he is a kidnapper.
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And because the internet never forgets; videos and pictures of him flaunting wealth and advising people to ‘huzzle’ showed up. In one he said;
“In this life, make money o. Huzzle o. Huzzle.”
Specifically, he had a wad of foreign currency and had spread them like a hand fan; flapping at the camera with the money.
In another picture, he captioned a picture of him sitting down in a comfortable office. It said;
“Work hard in silence, then let your success be your noise. Happy Easter, guys.”
Yet in another picture, he was standing in front of a nice looking car and a big house. He said;
‘Nothing good ever comes from too many people knowing your business. Being private and lowkey is the best way to be. #hustle hard.”
But in the last video shared of him, he was admitting to kidnapping and begging to be spared.
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This was someone that was coming to social media regularly to press people’s necks. Unknown to most people, he was a kidnapper!!!!
Where is Hushpuppi? He is in America awaiting sentencing.
Where is Mompha? He has been embroiled in a lot of EFCC wahala.
People do not look up to people on social media. Do not feel bad about what you don’t have. Do your legitimate work and congratulate yourself when you are able to get by with your meager earnings.
Do not envy people.
A lot of people will beg, borrow, steal and even kill to maintain the veneer of success.
If you do not know the source of a person’s wealth, don’t admire them. Their fall is usually great.
It is honourable to do the things you can afford and work legitimately for progress. Don’t be desperate.
I would rather be a destitute than to snatch people and torture them and make their families pay for their release.
You don’t have what they have. But they end up not even having their freedom.
Let’s be guided, folks.
