The typical Nigerian 鈥渙wambe鈥 is barely a complete experience if guests haven鈥檛 rained money on the celebrant in an almost excessive display of wealth. While most people look forward to this highlight, I was shocked to find out that there are others who鈥檇 rather skip the entire show.
Amid EFCC鈥檚 recent clampdown on socialites for spraying money at events, Segun* shares how his mum鈥檚 experience with a diabolic relative shaped his interaction with money at social functions.聽
As Told To Adeyinka
My earliest memory of my mum getting furious and creating a scene in public was at my 10th birthday party. 20 years later, I still have a vivid picture of what happened.
While dancing on the stage, an aunt from my father鈥檚 side came to press 鈧50 notes against my forehead. I鈥檓 not sure if it was a deliberate attempt on her part, but she wouldn鈥檛 put the money anywhere else but my forehead. I remember my mum yanking me off almost immediately and walking off the stage. My aunt was furious, and they both got into a loud argument that almost disrupted the party. My aunt argued that my mum鈥檚 action implied she had ill intent against me. My mum, on the other, hand wasn鈥檛 willing to take chances.
Years later, I learnt that what happened on my birthday was a traumatic response to my mum鈥檚 experience at her wedding. The gist is, an older relative who came from the village pressed money against her head the same way my aunt did at my birthday. My mum fell sick for weeks after her wedding and was hospitalised.聽 The doctors couldn鈥檛 say exactly what was wrong and all the treatment did nothing to improve her condition.
for a day of fun, networking and partayyyyy
Things only got better after my granny involved an Islamic cleric who revealed they had to find and discard 鈥渂ad money鈥 from a close relative sprayed on her wedding day. Many relatives attended the wedding and since my mum was barely conscious, she couldn鈥檛 tell the family members whom she suspected. Remember, she was hospitalised almost immediately after her wedding, so all the money from the wedding was still in a bag. It was hard to identify which money was from whom so the cleric suggested giving everything to charity. She was discharged about a week later and the doctors described her recovery as 鈥渕iraculous鈥.
That experience shook my mum鈥檚 core, and it shaped her interaction with money at social events. If the money isn鈥檛 in an envelope or sprayed into a collection bag or basket, my mum doesn鈥檛 want it. This has also rubbed off on me and my siblings over the years. We might not be as extreme as our mum, but if someone aims for our head or forehead while spraying money, we find ways to dodge it or remove ourselves from that situation.聽
In my case, I also avoid doing the same to people. I鈥檇 rather put the money in a brown envelope and give it to the celebrant, spray it in the collection bag or just ignore it entirely.聽
