Whenever Akin graced a social party in the community, his major attraction was the display of opulence by the rich and famous. As a little child he admired this show of wealth and he always look out for the part of "money rain" as those with wads of mint cash painted the air with raw currencies. It doesn't matter what time of day; whether night or day, these crisp currencies shone bright like the stars in a darkened sky.

Talking about new currency notes, it was in one of such parties he saw and felt for the first time in his life what a mint currency looked and felt like. He recalled his own poor mother stashed some few of such mint currency notes under her mattress for months, refusing to spend them because they were hard to come by. When he thinks of it then, he would simply shake his head in amusement.

As a child he had often wondered how these rich folks came about having so much money and even sleep peacefully at night after "spraying" so much of it at parties. His own poor and wretched father always complained of "money is hard to get", but this was in sharp contrast with what these wealthy folks exhibit. "Surely, their own money was easy to get," he often thought to himself. And whenever he sees these set of rich folks spraying money in the air at parties, it made his ambition to become like them more determined.

He had also noticed the respect these folks commanded in the society or at any social gatherings they often find themselves in. He even learnt that some host of parties had to go through some ordeals to get such "money makers" (as these wealthy men are called) to attend their parties. For example, rumours had it that one of such host gave his daughter for a one-night-stand to one of such influential personalities for him to grace his ceremony. But to Akin, back then, whenever he heard such stories he always waved it off as "poor people are always jealous of the rich and would go miles to spread rumours of hatred against them."

When he first joined the ranks of "money sprayers", hearing people hail him by calling him sweet names and titles propelled him to always outdo his last appearance of showing off at parties. In no time, local musicians started infusing his names and social titles in their songs; several organisations started doling out to him award plaques of honour; proposals were being made to honour him with chieftaincy titles, among others. 

Akin's popularity soon expanded beyond his local frontiers. It was once said of an incident that happened where he felt offended by an unknown personality outdoing his generosity at one of such social functions. Akin had first graced the floor to rain money in the air. When he was done, out of nowhere a young man came into the ceremony and began to toss money all around endlessly, with the crowd booming out praises on him. Feeling slighted, Akin ordered for seven 'Ghana Must Go' sack bags, and the rest, as they say, became history.

Akin's popularity was such that it was said that women were falling over themselves to be his wives. One extreme incident had it that a married woman once threatened to leave her poor husband to become Akin's wife as she had lost her once shining beauty to the stress of poverty; she believed that it was men in the calibre of Akin that can maintain such a physical beauty in her. So many incidents trailed the "Money Sprayer" as Akin is fondly called.

But while Akin was being generous outdoors, his own folks indoors were living the life of a pauper. Many of them have approached him several times with appeals for a soft loan, yet he wouldn't budge to offer them any help. His own local community needed some public interventions, but he wouldn't provide any. When asked why he was meting out such ill treatment on his own people, he would always say "I am not indebted to anybody. I worked hard for my money; if they want theirs let them go and work for it." Yet, Akin made his wealth from his local community.

Akin's rise to fame began when he was appointed as head of a leadership team to liaise with one of the Big-5 companies operating in the territory. He had secured that position due to his perceived loyalty to the people as he had on several occasions passionately fought for the interest of the people, for their rights to be upheld. But unknowing to them, Akin was only putting up a front as he had plans to hit it big so he could live out his wild dream. In no time, Akin, in his ingenuity, outsmarted every team member and craftily arm-twisted them. In the end, by influencing some few elders and youth leaders, he had his way to a largesse of funds, with the community receiving peanuts in return. That was how he established his reign.

Ten years had passed and reality has stepped in. He had struck a deal with another of the Big-5 companies. Running out of cash, he had secured a loan from one of the new generational banks so he could continue his "money spraying" campaign; for Akin was not a man to koto to lack, he always love to impress everyone as a man with clout. But out of nowhere the company he had a deal with ran into problems and in order to evade losses, quietly pulled out of the country. Unable to pay back his loans, the bank descended on Akin and stripped him of his entire wealth which was not enough to settle his debts, leaving him with nothing but bankruptcy.

All the people Akin was generous to outdoors were no where to be found. All his opulent friends could not be seen like the wind. All the institutions that once revered him blacklisted him from their books. All the strange women he established rejected him. Left with nowhere else to go, Akin turned to his people; but because he had helped to establish none, even though some of them have forgiven him as their son, they didn't have any means to help him get back on his feet. In shame, he returned to joining them as a pauper. And to this day he remained a pauper!

END

Image Source: Daily Nigerian

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