THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has repeatedly warned that spraying, selling or mutilating naira notes is a criminal offence that attracts five years imprisonment. The reality, however, is that there is little or no respect for the piece of legislation that has had to contend with Nigerians’ culture of spraying money at social events. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI reports.
On the bandstand was one of Nigeria’s celebrated musicians. The guests, like the host, were the class of people regarded as the high and mighty. It was the celebration of the birthday anniversary of one of them: an industrialist, philanthropist and business mogul who has made his mark in the business world locally and internationally.
Politicians, technocrats, top bank executives, industrialists, business men and women, top government officials, serving and former governors and lawmakers. It was not the usual rowdy party, but that of the high class where the guests are made up of the crème la crème in the society
The ace musician was at his best in his usual dexterous and elastic moves, dishing out old melodious tunes that prompted the rain of naira and dollar from guests. Soon, the small stage was littered with crisp naira and dollar notes matched upon by dancing guests. No one seemed to give a damn as to the illegality of their action. As far as they were concerned, they were simply enjoying themselves.
The more flamboyant guests did not even bother to unwrap the currency notes, intermittently placing them on the forehead of the musician in packs.
The foregoing is a typical scenario depicting how the naira is abused at social events on a daily basis as the culprits think they are simply catching fun. Lost on them is the consequence of their action under the law. Could it be that they are ignorant of the existing laws forbidding such? Could it be that they are blinded by the seemingly entrenched culture of spraying naira notes at social events?
The Nation investigation revealed that there are more to the abuse of the naira note than meets the eye.
What the law says
It was former President Olusegun Obasanjo who sent the Central Bank of Nigeria Bill to the 6th National Assembly before the expiration of his tenure in 2007. According to Section 21 Subsection 1-4 of the bill, “Any person who tampers with a coin or note issued by the apex bank is guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term not less than six months or to a fine not less than N50, 000 or to both cash fine and imprisonment.
“For the avoidance of doubt, spraying or, dancing or marching on the naira or any note issued by the bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the naira or such note and shall be punishable under subsection (1) of this section”.
Spraying under the new law includes adorning, decorating anything or any person or any part of any person or the person of another with naira notes or coins.
However, when the bill eventually became law, it was very difficult to make it opera tional because of the cultural values of the people as regards spraying money at parties as a mark of appreciation and support to the celebrant.
Shedding more light on the law, CBN spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, said: “If a celebrant is dancing and you spray him/her (with naira notes), you may go to jail from the party venue, because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you. It is the duty of law enforcement agencies to catch offenders and take them to court. Our collaboration with the police will intensify as we move to implement the mobile court for offenders.”
Clash with culture
The Nation investigation revealed that much as the law to protect the currency note is in circulation, the age long appreciation of people at ceremonies by pasting money on their foreheads and by and large mutilating it, is an old cultural issue.
Our correspondent gathered that some celebrants make hundreds of thousands of naira from money sprayed on such occasions. The amount made depends on the calibre of the guests that attended the ceremony—the more reason why the habit cannot die in a hurry.
Adewale, who got married in Lagos in November 2016, said he and his wife gathered over N500,000 from the naira notes sprayed on them at the wedding reception.
He said: “I know that there is a law that prohibits the spraying of naira notes, but I cannot tell my guests not to spray me with money, more so as I needed the money. The money is theirs and I cannot tell them how to spend it. I have no right to tell my guests whether they should spray me or put the money in an envelope.
“What I know is that money is sprayed in parties and I am glad I experienced the same at my wedding too. Law or no law, spraying of money is good and is needed to assist people’s financial needs,” he said.
In the same vein, David , who got married in October 2017, said he made about N400, 000 from the money he and his wife were sprayed with at their wedding.
“Till the morning of our wedding day, we did not have money to get accommodation. It was after our wedding that I used N350,000 to rent a three bedroom flat in Berger area of Lagos State, where my wife and I live. I thank God for the money sprayed on me, and I must tell you that the law cannot stand.”
Recounting her experience during her 60th birthday party in Ibadan, Oyo State,Abimbola said she made more than one million naira from both sprayed and enveloped money given to her at her party. She said it was the money she made from the celebration that she used to pay all her debts after the party.
“The hall decorations, ushers, caterer and event manager were not fully paid for until after my birthday party, thanks to the money sprayed.” she said.
She noted that the law which prohibits the spraying of naira notes is one of such laws that cannot be effectively implemented in the country, “because it contradicts our culture, which is also our way of life.”
According to her, spraying money at parties is something she grew up to know and cannot imagine it being taken away from the people to whom it is a routine during such events.
Speaking to our correspondent, the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos Mainland, Rt. Rev. Akinpelu Johnson, explained that any act of show off, including the spraying of money at parties, should be discouraged.
He said: “When you spray money at parties, what do you want those people who are less fortunate to do? This act encourages temptation. Is it only the person being sprayed that collects the money or those who are not meant to collect it also?
“The act of spraying money is not right and it is not good. It can also make some people to start planning evil against the person being sprayed or the persons spraying the money.
“In the entire Bible, there is nowhere I see that money was sprayed. The scripture does not say we should not have money but anything we do should be in moderation. Instead of spraying the money, we should put it in an envelope and give it to the person celebrating as a gift.
“Anything that would lead another man to temptation or commit evil must be prevented, because it is not everybody at a party that is there with a clean mind,” he said.
Elder Ayo Oni of the Methodist Church of Nigeria also shared this line of thought, saying that Jesus Christ admonished that we should not let our right hand know what our left hand is doing.
“Whatever you do, let it be between you and your God. I am not aware that there is a law that bans the spraying of naira notes, but if that is the case, I am happy about it. Even though those who make money from spraying money would not like the law, there are other ways to make money. The law has not been observed and will never be,” he said.
To Muhammed Kudu Abubakar, a Muslim from Niger State, Islam does not support spraying money. According to him, spraying money at an occasion amounts to showing off and Islam does not support that.
He advised that money meant for a celebrant should be put in an envelope, transferred to the bank account of the celebrant or presented without any form of show off in the public.
“I support the law by the Federal Government that money should not be sprayed at parties. At my wedding, I was not sprayed with money because I did not like it. My children too will not be sprayed on their wedding day, because I don’t like it,” he said.
In his own view, the Asiwaju Gbofinro of Oke-Ona Egbaland, Ogun State, Hon. Justice Oluseun Shogbola, said it is our culture in Nigeria to spray money, noting that it only becomes bad when we overdo it.
“Aside spraying celebrators on the dancing floor, local drummers also get sprayed. Spraying someone is a form of appreciation. It is when it is overdone like it is usually done this day that it becomes bad.
“I am aware of the law and the law can work in Nigeria. But those who are supposed to enforce it are also guilty of it. You can give money by hand rather than spraying it. Some people overdo it. They spray the money any how to get the attention of the musician to sing their praises. But they will end in trouble before they realise what they have done. You never can tell the kind of people at the occasion you are doing the show off. It can be dangerous; so one has to be careful.
“I am not against the law, neither am I supporting it. If you want to do it, you can put the money in the person’s hand rather than spraying it. When I was conferred with a chieftaincy title in Abeokuta and people gave me money, not too much money, at the reception when I was dancing. Spraying is a sign of appreciation, but it should not be overdone.
Speaking to The Nation on the issue, the Project Director, Vision Spring Initiatives, Mrs. Ngozi Nwoso-Juba, said as an Igbo person, she did not grow up remembering that her people normally sprayed money at parties.
She said: “I know we do to drummers, but it is usually not something reasonable that they are sprayed. You can listen to music or find a drummer intriguing and you can give money. But most times, it is a gift.
“I know there used to be a drummer in my village, but what we usually gave him was kola or other gifts. It was our way of appreciating him. We don’t usually give him money, though sometimes we do. It may be the same day he beat the drum or another day.
“It is not a part of Igbo culture to spray money while music is playing in a party. I think we got that culture from the Yoruba. I am married to a Yoruba person and we got married in Lagos. At my traditional wedding, both the Igbo and Yoruba who came sprayed us with money. But it is more of a Yoruba culture than Igbo.”
Aside from the cultural perspective, The Nation gathered that over the years, musicians who are the biggest beneficiaries, do not see anything wrong with spraying money at parties, because it is a main source of livelihood, law or no law.
The President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Pretty Okafor, said he and his members are aware of the law, noting that it is part of our culture to spray musicians.
He said: “Praise singing is part of our culture and it is only natural that people spray money on their favorite musician once he or she starts praise singing their names.
“The law says that it is illegal to spray money at parties. My take on this is that I don’t think the law can stop that part of tradition, because I still went to a party recently and the musicians were sprayed. None of our members has been arrested on the basis of that law.
“I don’t think the law affects PMAN in any way, and it does not affect musicians’ way of doing business. My members are aware of the law. Nobody has complained or said anything about it, because it is hard to track down people spraying money. We all grew up with the culture of spraying at parties and concerts, so I don’t think it can be stopped just like that.
“Parties are mostly for the invited, so I don’t think the government has the machinery to regulate that particular law. Musicians cannot be arrested for being sprayed at parties, because the crowd might not allow the authorities to even enter the premises of the party. So I don’t see it becoming a problem.”
Legal perspective
Former Solicitor-General of Lagos State and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Lawal Pedro, said that spraying money is a culture that has been with us in Nigeria for years and will take a while for it to leave us.
He said that it will be difficult for Nigerians to accept the law because the law conflicts with our cultural values.
He said: “Enforcing this law may be very difficult. It will require sensitisation, awareness, education, interpretation and letting people know that they can do it in a better way. There are many contradictions between the law and our culture, because some of these laws are imported.
“When you have a law, you must look at
your social orientation and culture. How I wish our culture can either be modernised or developed to meet with the current trends like the Indians and Chinese who do respect their culture anywhere they are. But in Africa, especially in Nigeria, after westernisation, we totally lose our culture; everything about our culture is bad.
“In other countries, they play with currency in festive periods like wedding. Spraying money is not peculiar to Nigeria; it is the way it is managed in different countries that differs.
“What is meant by spraying money in the law needs to be explained. If I put a bundle of naira notes in front of you and you pick it, does it amount to spraying? Or the money is put in an envelope and used to slap your face, or I put a box down and everybody that comes to celebrate with me drops money in the box, just like offering in the church, while people continue to dance, does it amount to spraying?”
According to him, “spraying money is a habit and they say habit dies hard. It is like smoking. To quit smoking or drinking takes a while. So such culture, to rewrite it will take a while. It can’t just be enforced overnight.
“Spraying of money in the modern form that we have now is probably an extension of an earlier tradition which has become an integral part of Nigeria’s culture and social life, whether we like it or not.
“Spraying money is a culture and it is done in different ways across different cultures in different countries. Some people call it dollar dance, some call it money dance, and in some other cultures, it is called bridal dance or apron dance. This is why in Nigeria we find it difficult to stop it overnight.”
Pedro, who said he is against marching on currency notes, said: “It is when the money is being sprayed, such that it is thrown in the air, dropped on the floor and people march on it that is totally unreasonable, and anybody found doing that should be punished, because our currency is our national image.
“In Yoruba land where I come from, even before naira touches the ground, it is picked and put inside a nylon, purse or bag, so the naira is actually not debased in that way. It is only when it is torn, something is written on it or it is marched on that I agree sanction should be applied accordingly.”
According to him, the way people look at the culture of spraying naira or currency at parties has been called to question by different people even before the CBN brought out a law to regulate it, and some people see it as a flamboyant, ostentatious or a mere show of wealth, which should bother people, because of the level of poverty and corruption in the country.
“Our culture must also be maintained. We can develop and modernise the culture to ensure that our social life is not just wiped out because we are trying to be Europeans when we are actually Africans,” he said.
“I think we should just review the law and make it enforceable or realistic. However, people should be aware of the need to have respect for our currency, to ensure it is not debased and realise that it costs money to print those currencies, apart from the value of the currency itself.