There are billionaires in Nigeria who do not know what to do with money
again. They only continue to stockpile more money in different hard
currencies as if they are preparing for a competition of a sort. They
hardly participate in anything that could foster humanity and enliven the
many dampened people whom penury has written all over their body. From oil
to politics to other endeavours these do-nothing with money are there.
Against this influence, it is worthwhile to show gratitude to Prince Tonye
Princewill who’s neither one of the Nigeria’s acclaimed money-bags, but has
decided to lend a hand to humankind with the little he has.
Timi Julius is a twenty-two year old boy who would all his life remain
appreciative to his God and Princewill for putting smiles on his face on
the 26th of September 2012. This lad from Bayelsa State, though had
demonstrated a rare talent in the 1st edition of the Rivers Music and Arts
Project (RIVMAP), was clanged by the severe judges as the winner of
N5million record deal in the music category of the RIVMAP, beating other
five rivals. What made the project very serene was that Princewill who is
the leader of a political/social group – Princewill’s Political Associates
(PPA) – remained his humble person and did not turn a rabble-rouser with
the project as wont many of his ilk in the political pitch, who would have
used the platform as a political tool to score a very cheap publicity.
This fund as was expended on the youths wasn’t ‘extra money’ Princewill did
not know what to do with, as we have heard some Nigerian charity donors
said when they lengthened such a benevolent hand as Princewill. It was his
hard-earned money he would have invested in his business or kept in the
bank for his children and family. He did not do that, rather he deemed it
worthy in his closet and decided against these to give back, not only to
his people of Rivers State, but also non-indigenes dwellers in the state,
who were found worthy enough to share in the talent-hunt banquet.
Much gratitude should be shown to Princewill because he does not belong to
the few elite of this country who have situated the country’s resources and
prosperity to themselves at the cost of majority and come out to make
philanthropy political of the many million dollars they donate to XYZ
non-for-profit project and are cheered as philanthropists they are not.
Princewill is not significantly connected to the power that be in Abuja and
does not have an oil bloc but is still a struggling man making sure that
the ends meet squarely around the people and communities in and out of
Rivers State.
His fund is not a laughable capital but a serene capital put in place to
help reduce poverty in people. It was not Timi alone who won money at the
RIVMAP though he won the star price in the Music category. There were those
who also won millions of naira in Dancing and Comedy, and they were all in
praise of Princewill for giving them hope when they had thought that all
hope was lost to enhance their talents soonest.
The weight of their praise of the dude, they perhaps thought that they were
going to be the only beneficiaries of this noble project. But Prince Tonye
Princewill showed enthusiasm that by his God’s grace the project would be
running every year. This belief is spurring young people living in the
state who have got talents in the aforementioned categories of the project
to be horning their prowess ahead.
Those who won were not only going to enjoy the star prices that they won in
the different groupings of the RIVMAP. Princewill had made it clear that
they would be exposed to countries of Europe and the USA., where they would
compete with great talents in the different fields.
In earnest, many financially rich people should help people as Princewill
has started. Nigeria got talents. Moguls from this country who are in and
outside the country should be bothered in helping people find their stands.
The financially rich persons should devout time and energies towards
managing people inlure of their unspent billions of naira/dollars lazing in
the bank. They should be leading in indigenous talents exploration as they
are wont to oil and politics exploitation.
Nigeria has ultra-wealthy people who should rise to this responsibility
instead of sit down in Abuja and at different corners, and find the rest
population undeserving of reality and fairness. It is time the financially
rich Nigerians who made their money through our collective wealth started
to feel guilty by releasing their hands to assist the people. It does not
mean that this crusade is encouraging improprieties.
In countries like the USA., farmers are also philanthropists. And some of
them spearhead charitable efforts to give confidence to people by donating
a piece of their proceeds from crop sales. They do this to the *Feeding
America*, the nation’s largest hunger-relief group. In what is called *Invest
an Acre* many rich American farmers pay heed to a call by some of them to
set away one acre of their cropland for this programme. Alongside this
power, every Nigerian must hence donate something positive to the
development of Nigeria. Timi Julius has donated his voice!
It would be pleasing that Nigerians are doing charitable things, and stop
the feeling that it is perhaps unnecessary. Feeling or pleading guilty
should not only be done in the court of law. By helping people achieve
their potentialities is also a way of pleading guilty of ills one must have
once done to the society since the leaders have refused to show much
concern to technology development, infrastructural development and good
governance. Doing this will do justice to consciences. We should love
humanity with every fibre of our being. Princewill is today having a
scoreboard tracks in assisting mankind, affirming what was once credited to
President Jimmy Carter: “This timely manifesto will serve as a wonderful
reminder that everyone can and should try to make a difference. It will
inspire confidence that we can help make our world a better place.”
