African Glitz TV, August 6, 2021
BBNaija Shine Ya Eyes housemate Hazel Oyeze Onou, better known as White Money, is a 29-year-old entrepreneur hailing from Enugu State. He was born on July 6 1992, to his parents in Enugu State, where he was raised among his siblings. Sadly, he wasn’t born with a silver spoon, which made his journey through life a tad difficult, especially with his father's absence. You all know that saying, if you were born in Nigeria, life is leading you 1–0, and if your parents don’t have money, life is leading you 2–0. Yes, this was the reality of WhiteMoney whose life was leading by 2–0 and soon became 3–0 after his mother was forced to relocate to the City of Lagos in search of greener pastures.
In the beginning, the pastures were not so green, and his
mother was forced to hustle hard. She began selling food to care for him and
his siblings. As time went on, WhiteMoney joined in hustling. He did many menial
jobs to make ends meet, from opening a mama put to bathing, fixing generators,
riding okada, and once ran a music studio. He was also once a barber and
photographer, all because of husting.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update- October 9, 2021 [Update at the end of this post]
This post also presents some examples of tweets, YouTube comments, and quotes from other online sources that refer to the word "white" as a referent to BB Naija 6's contestant "Whitemonkey".
The content of this post is presented for cultural and linguistic purposes.
Thanks to Whitemoney and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the producer of this embedded video and the publisher of that video on YouTube.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
These Nigerian connotations for the nickname "Whitemoney" and that nicknames' abbreviations "White" and "Whitey" are very different from the United States connotations for those nicknames. As an African American who had previously read about the Big Brother Naija series but wasn't familiar with the contestents for that 2021 iteration of that series, when I first read the hashtag "Vote for Whitemoney", I thought that "white money" referred to some United States corporation that was owned by White people. Or I thought that that hashtag would be full of shade (insults) towards people of color who acted like Uncle Toms by voting for the interests of White people against the best interest of Black people and other people of color.
Specifically in regards to that BBNaija 6 contestant, my guess is that the nickname "Whitemoney" has the connotation of being blessed by God with the ability and opportunities to make, receive, and keep money.
In the United States "White" and "Whitey" are formal and informal referents for White people, with "whitey" sometimes being used as a sometimes playful referent to Black people with very light skin. However, I don't think that those referents have any connection to race or skin color in Nigerian cultures. Instead, my inference and guess (from reading tweets and other online examples of those nicknames used in reference to that BB Naija contestant, is that "White" and "Whitey" are abbreviations for the nickname "Whitemoney". As such, in their BB Naija context, the nicknames "White" and Whitey" have the same connotations in Nigeria as the nickname "Whitemoney"
The BB Naija contestant who is known as "Whitemoney" is what Black people in the United States refer to as "light skinned" and "fair complexioned". However, it should be emphasized that there is no evidence whatsoever that the Nigerian nickname "Whitemoney" or the nicknames "White" and 'Whitey" have any connection whatsoever to that contestants' skin color.
Here's an excerpt that points to why the "money" portion of that BB Naija contestant's nickname "White Money" is so apt for him:
"If you are a fan of reality shows, then you can’t have missed the face of one of the male housemates in Nigeria’s biggest reality show, Big Brother Naija. Now, I am talking about White Money, the guy with an undeniable knack for business. Ever since White Money’s unveiling on 24 July 2021, he has been trending all over social media as fans keep seeking to know about this dude who has decided to bring his ‘A’ game to win the grand prize of 90 million NGN.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/01/olodumare-and-obatala-oxala-color-white.html and https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-meaning-of-color-white-in-igbo.html for pancocojams posts about the traditional Nigerian meanings of the color "White".
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REPRINT OF THIS COMPLETE ARTICLE - "How God gave me the name ‘Whitemoney’ – BBNaija S6 housemate"
From https://punchng.com/how-god-gave-me-the-name-whitemoney-bbnaija-s6-housemate/ by Victoria Edeme, 2 September 2021
"Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemate, Whitemoney, had revealed that God gave him the name ‘Whitemoney’.
He revealed this to Queen* on Wednesday, day 39 of the show, as the duo was working in the kitchen.
The 29-year-old businessman whose real name is Hazel Onou,
came into the show with the nickname ‘Whitemoney’, which surprised fans and
viewers.
In their discussion, Whitemoney told Queen that God gave him the name in the dream.
Queen asked, “The first day I came, I asked you, ‘why is your name Whitemoney?’ So what is the motivation? Why are you called Whitemoney?”
Whitemoney answered, “I didn’t give myself that name. It was given to me by God.”
In surprise, Queen asked, “God? But you said it was from
your friends.”
“Because that’s what I wanted you to know,” Whitemoney
asked.
Queen asked, “So how did God give you Whitemoney? You saw it in your dream?”
Whitemoney said, “I prayed for it. I woke up with it in my mouth. Believe it or not, that’s the truth. If I tell people, they may not believe me. So I just say people gave me Whitemoney.
“I prayed that I needed a name that would stand out; a name
that would cause controversy.”
-snip-
* Queen is a female contestant in BB Naija 2021.
Two things that are clear from this discussion is that the BB Naija contestant gave the name "Whitemoney" to himself, and he used it prior to his entrance in that television reality series.
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SELECTED EXAMPLES OF ONLINE MATERIAL THAT SUGGESTS THAT THE NICKNAME "WHITEMONEY" AS USED BY THE BB NAIJA 2021 CONTESTANT HAS TRADITIONAL NIGERIAN MEANINGS
Some of these quotes are examples of the "White" or "Whitey" abbreviations of the nickname "Whitemoney".
referencing purposes only.
Excerpt #1
From https://twitter.com/search?q=%23VoteOnlyWhitemoney hashtag: "Vote only for Whitemoney".
[All of these tweets are from Sept. 20, 2021]
1. Likho
@LikhonaIzulu
"Someone on Facebook said :
White mind, White soul, White spirit [emoji of Loudly crying face]❤ [emoji of Loudly crying face] our blood is Whitemoney"
**
2.
@Proprietress01
"Whitemoney’s soul is as white as his name. A pure heart
dey say God never detest. #VoteOnlyWhitemoney #BBNaija"
**
3. Whitemoney Sugar baby [multiple emojis of Money bag and
Comet]
5. valentina ernest
@ErnestValentina
"My Whitey ready for the day #BBNaijia #VoteOnlyWhitemoney"
**
6. Sandra Bridget
@Sanbridge01
"Omo! WMG una dey give me joy!!! My own is just to like
& retweet your tweets as we go all out for the man of the season;
Whitemoney aka Goldmoney aka God'smoney... Mazi of BBN season 6, Ozopurini ego
1 of the 042 state [emoji of Face with tears of joy] the wazobia himself [emoji
of Raising hands] #BBNaija #VoteOnlyWhitemoney "
-snip-
-snip-
"Mazi" is an Igbo "title" for men which is sometimes said to mean "Mr,". However, some women can also be addressed as "mazi". "Mazi" is also sometimes given the meaning "elder".But in these tweets about WhiteMoney the word "mazi" seems to be more of an honorific (a title conferring high status and respect). Click https://www.nairaland.com/1358405/mazi-title-igbo-society "The "Mazi" Title In Igbo Society - Culture - Nairaland" for a six page discussion about the Igbo word "mazi".
**
7. NanaYaw Barima [Dizzy symbol]
@AlhajiTrinidad
"MaziMoney , GoldMoney, God’s Money , Whitemoney , You
the best ! #VoteOnlyWhitemoney G #BBNaija"
-snip-
"Mazi" is an Igbo "title" for men which is sometimes said to mean "Mr,". However, some women can also be addressed as "mazi". Mazi is also sometimes given the meaning "elder".But in these tweets about WhiteMoney the word "mazi" seems to be more of an honorific. Click https://www.nairaland.com/1358405/mazi-title-igbo-society "The "Mazi" Title In Igbo Society - Culture - Nairaland" for a six page discussion about the word "mazi".
**
8. Olugu Okechukwu
@OkechukwuOlugu
"White Body!
White Soul!
White Spirit!
Whitemoney!
#VoteOnlyWhitemoney
#BBNaija #BBNaijaShineYaEye"
**
9. Gift [emoji of Money bag]
@giftkosy
"#VoteOnlyWhitemoney because the money is white"
#BBNaija
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Excerpt #2
From https://twitter.com/greg_collinz?lang=en
𝑮𝑹𝑬𝑮 𝑪𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑺 🅒 Whitemoney #Bbnaija
@Greg_Collinz
Sep 15 [2021]
Excerpt #3
From
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FkQXes9FdM&ab_channel=LeroiEmmyTV
"Bbnaija 2021: The Interesting Story of BBNaija Most Loved
Housemate Whitemoney"
Comment:
Asa Onyema, Sept. 2021
"Clean money; WhiteMoney"
****
UPDATE: [posted Oct. 9, 2021]
From https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/naija-fashion/488005-just-in-bbnaija-as-predicted-by-premium-times-whitemoney-wins-bbnaija-shine-ya-eye-edition.html "BBNaija: As predicted by PREMIUM TIMES, Whitemoney wins
BBNaija ‘Shine Ya Eye’ Edition" By Jayne Augoye, October 3, 2021
"Hazel Oyeze, popularly known as Mazi Whitemoney, has emerged the winner of the sixth season of BBNaija reality show.
[...]
Whitemoney has been a fan favourite since the show began on 24 July . He also had the backing and support of his kinsmen and several Nigerian celebrities.
As winner, Whitemoney walks away with a total of ₦90m grand
prize which includes a ₦30m cash prize, cash in an Abeg digital wallet and
bitcoins courtesy of Patricia.
Others are a two-bedroom apartment courtesy of RevolutionPlus Property, a top of the range SUV from a Nigerian automaker, Innoson Motors, and a trip-for-two packaged by Travelbeta.
Emmanuel placed sixth, Angel came fifth, Cross was fourth, Pere occupied the third place while Liquorose came second."...
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