Afrobeats singer Mr Real has raised the alarm over a growing practice in which some Nigerians allegedly hire people to spray money at parties, creating artificial pressure on genuine guests to do the same.
In a video shared on his Instagram page, the singer warned Nigerians not to take everything they see at events or on social media at face value. According to him, the hired “money sprayers” and the host later share the proceeds, while the original capital is returned to the sprayers.
Mr Real recounted a recent incident at a hotel in Abuja where chaos broke out at night. Upon investigating, an acquaintance confided in him that the men involved were professional “money sprayers.”
“These boys are rented to spray money at events so that other guests feel pressured to join in,” he explained. The amount they spray is agreed upon with the host beforehand, and they sometimes use dollars. At the end of the party, the host returns the money that was sprayed. In return, the sprayers receive between 10 and 15 per cent of whatever genuine guests contribute, depending on their arrangement.
The altercation in Abuja, Mr Real said, stemmed from the discovery of $800 in counterfeit notes among the sprayed money. The host accused the sprayers of introducing the fake currency, while they insisted it could have come from the celebrant’s friends.
“I was shocked to discover that there is a business like that,” the singer stated. “People will be feeling pressured watching others spraying money, not knowing that it was staged.”
He added that the practice is particularly common in Lagos, especially in areas like Lekki.