Cubana Chief Priest, the socialite, has responded to the
recent criticism of his popular catchphrase ‘money na water’ by Cosmas Maduka,
billionaire businessman.
At a recent event, Maduka, chairman of Coscharis Group,
criticised the slang, calling it a reflection of a decaying value system.
He also argued that he has never heard any “billionaire use
such a phrase”.
The socialite, however, fired back in a series of posts on
his Instagram story, framing Maduka’s views as “outdated and out of touch with
the realities of the modern digital economy”.
Chief Priest argued that the foundations of wealth and
influence have fundamentally shifted.
He elaborated that in today’s world, visibility is a primary
currency.
“With all due respect to the motivational speaking older
generation who built wealth quietly, the world you thrived in is not the one we
live in today. In your time, capital was factories, fleets, and real estate. In
our time, attention is the main capital. These capitals listed cannot sell in
today’s market without the major capital attention (visibility),” he wrote.
— Sommy (@Sommy_pe) October 15, 2025
“Visibility has become the new currency. In a digital
economy, obscurity is bankruptcy. What you don’t show doesn’t sell. What you
don’t amplify dissolves into silence. We are the noise that’s why you know us
to the extent you had to use us to make references in your dry speech.”
Chief Priest clarified that “money na water” is not an
endorsement of frivolity but a “metaphor for abundance and flow”.
“Because you want to use us to trend without paying us, na
why you dey run when you see us, you no wan show us real love. Tell me, why
must a billionaire pretend to use the toilet just to run away from an event,
that’s a lot of stress for a real billionaire. When I say ‘money na water’,
it’s not vanity – it’s a revelation of excess liquidity, abundance, and flow,”
he added.
“Water moves so does relevance, visibility, and influence.
The ability to attract attention and sustain engagement is the new oil field. A
man with massive attention today has more leverage than one with quiet billions
but no presence. Content is not noise. Content is digital equity. The same way
factories produced wealth in the 80s, attention produces wealth today.”
Chief Priest also reiterated that ‘money na water’ is his
personal philosophy and creative identity.
“We’ve moved from industrial capitalism to introducing
attention capitalism thanks to Zuckerberg. While your generation built fences
to protect their wealth because the don’t want to help, our generation builds
platforms to project it. Silence once symbolized power, today presence does,”
he wrote.
“You mentioned Elumelu, that’s my mentor on the corporate
sector, he doesn’t just say money na water papa lives it. Likewise the overall
Don Otedola, these are people who used their wealth to give Africa proper
visibility that’s why you can publicly identify with them because they are not
the only billionaires you know, why didn’t you use our Nnewi billionaires?
“You go dey mention the ones wey sabi chop their money, why
you no use the ones wey sabi hoard money like you? Dem plenty for main market.
Well you did so because you know they do more for Africa with their money by
the way the spend it which commands respect for Africa. Remove your name from
that Otedola & Elumelu list you don’t belong there sir, your name dey Nnewi
billionaires list.
“And like I said at my last interview on Channels TV ‘money
na water’ is a prophecy that connotes wealth overload. This is my story.
Perhaps some may choose to go with ‘lack na water’ but over here, money na
water. Na my business be this, na my lamba. Make nobody try spoil am as e dey
go.”
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