Tonye Princewill: Using Serene Capital to Reduce Poverty
By Odimegwu Onwumere
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."
Odimegwu Onwumere, Poet/Author, Media/Writing Consultant and Motivator, is the Coordinator, Concerned Non-Indigenes In Rivers State (CONIRIV); and Founder, Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State, Nigeria.