Since creation, man has not failed to subject all things under his dominion as instructed by the Almighty. With his intuitive perception and free will to make further advances into creation, he has equally made attempts at making life easier for himself by subjecting God’s own handiwork to scientific evolutions. And these efforts have led to man’s version of creations with intentions to make life more meaningful for himself and his fellow human beings across the globe.
Money, in its origin status remains an idea of the Almighty crafted in forms that would enable humans transact businesses with one another with a view to meeting each other’s needs.
In this foundational format, money can be defined as any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payments. In the beginning, the ‘trade by barter’ system was used each time people needed to have tastes of what others possessed but could not personally produce.
This trend continued until man began to invent methods such as the use of cowries and some precious metals as media of exchange. The complexities in the use of this method of transactions led to the creation of paper money which, according to a foremost American financier and investment banker, John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (1837 – 1913), can be traced back to the promissory notes of ancient China, Carthage, and the Roman Empire, over 2000 years ago—but the banknote as we know it today emerged in the 7th century and is still evolving. The main inspiration towards these changes has been the need to overcome the challenge of counterfeiting.
After many years of using bank notes in their primary forms, humans with the appropriate wherewithal to offer improvements on the systems of monetary transaction went into the discovery of what is today known as currencies. These are generally defined as a system of money in common use within a specific environment over time, especially for people in a nation state. The United States’ dollar ($), the Nigeria’s Naira (N) and others are good examples of currencies in the world.
Unfortunately, money, in form of currencies has brought pains to the inhabitants of the earth, especially in countries like Nigeria where its values have been grossly misplaced. Many communities in the nation give names such as Omoboriowo, Omonigho. Nwakaego, Omosigho and the likes to press home the fact that human beings in their different formative stages represent what man should go after before the ambition to pursue wealth in form of currency. But in today’s Nigeria, a lot of youths are placing the value of money above human beings; thus, the incessant killings for money rituals, organ harvestings, kidnapping of fellow humans in exchange for millions of Naira.
In the words of the late American journalist, editor, author and publisher, George Horace Lorimer (1867 – 1937); “It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” Lorimer’s reflection draws a balance between the material and the intangible, reminding humans, particularly Nigerians of the need to cherish priceless aspects beyond monetary wealth.
It becomes very worrisome to note that despite the numerous measures put in place to check corrupt practices and the get-rich-quick syndrome in the society, many citizens still cherish the seizure of the collective wealth of the nation for their personal use.
The Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualisation) as proposed by late Abraham Maslow 1908 – 1970 and taught in higher institutions all over the world did not include needs such as sexual promiscuity and accumulation of wives and concubines, building of estates that may never be lived-in beyond two cumulative years of one’s life time, the use of imported exotic items at the detriment of a nation’s development and the abandonment of education in preference for easy routes to opulent survival.
Worst still, the value system in the country is fast embracing the recognition of the financial wrong doers in the reward for doing what ordinarily should motivate others towards the direction of establishing a standing protocol of diligent service to God and mankind.
To say the least, time has come for the government to wade into this ugly monster (bad governance and poor exemplary life styles) that is fast threatening the existential status of the country. As the saying goes; a stitch in time, saves nine!
For good success to be recorded in this battle, a more thorough and continuous education of the people deserve a central position in government policies.
