October 4, 2021

Whitemoney, (real name: Hazel Oyeze Onou),  winner of the just-concluded television reality show, Big Brother Naija, Season 6, Shine Ya Eye edition, was once a barber, food hawker, driver, seller of hair products and jewelry.

He’s now N90 million richer plus all the other cash money and products supplies he won while inside the Big Brother House.

A typical Nigerian hustler who represented in full strength the hustling, never-quit spirit of the Nigerian youth, he came into the house fully branded. Below, we examine some of the attributes that made him win the big prize money.

Brand as King

What helped Whitemoney, aside being a good guy with a good heart, was Branding. He came into the house with the Brand name: Whitemoney, which he explained to mean clean money. He never hid his passion to make money legitimately. The Brand name Whitemoney which tallied with his mission in the House, to make money, soon became an African anthem.. Whitemoney for the Money…became the sin-song of viewers and from all over Africa his fame grew, his fan base shot up and even his housemates conceded victory to him, genuinely.

Be Your Self…

He arrived the stage and told his story in a raw, no-pretence manner. He never faked any accent. He was Igbo, Enugu-born, he never hid it. He had a past of turbulence which captured the lives of all struggling Nigerian youths: former driver, hawker of jewelry and hair products, food vendor, barber, car seller targeting rich men with exotic cars, slum and under-bridge dweller, telecom mast installer to importer of shoes. He was a total package of the African child who rode through the sharp blades of life to become a source of joy and hope to many. He was also a giver, a man of sacrifice who in his poverty did not ignore the far less privileged around him. His story was not fake. As soon as he hit the House, those he had encountered in life came out to tell his story.

Do Good, It’s Your Investment

Whitemoney has a good heart. You cannot act being good for too long. He showed it in the House. He avoided trouble even in the face of obvious reckless attack, bullying and intimidation from Pere. He took it in his chin. Other housemates stood by himself when Pere tried to blackmail him and paint him as the devil in the House. While the storm raged in the House, those who knew Whitemoney outside the House came to his defence. One of them was a widow, a food vendor in Ojuelegba area of Lagos, who told the world how a struggling Whitemoney had helped her countless times. All the people he had encountered stood by him, testifying of his goodness, homeliness and humility.

His Majestic Humility

Whitemoney has a pleasant personality. Handsome, witty, funny and looks goodly. Yet, he remained humble and in the house, he did all chores with relish and dignity without losing his majestic looks and debonair persona.  He endeared himself to the housemates and to Africans.

The Race is not to the Swift..

Whitemoney has no college degree yet he did not allow his lack of certificate to dampen his intellect. He only admitted to not furthering his education even when his siblings did, but he showed remarkable brilliance, grasp of tasks, uncommon spark of creativity. He could compose a song out of an incident almost immediately. He is simply brilliant without paper qualification called degrees.

Besides, there appears a certain touch of divinity to his participation in the house. Heaven must have concluded to reward his past years of good deeds with the prize money and the peerless fame he garnered from the house. Life’s race is truly not to the swift but a matter of time and chance. It is not an accident that most of the celebrities in Africa rooted for him. He was heaven’s project; a man whose time has come.

The Prize…

Whitemoney  won N90million worth of prizes, no doubt the biggest purse for a reality television show on the continent.

The breakdown of the prize include a cash prize of N30million, two bedroom flat courtesy of Revolution Plus Properties, Innoson IVM G40, Travelbeta travel package for two to Dubai including airport transfer and tours.

Also, Cash in Abeg wallet, cash prize from Patricia, a weekend of getaway to Seychelles, courtesy Diageo; Arla makers of Dano will provide cartoons of Dairy products; and Pepsi supply for one year and merchandise.

Others are: packs of ‘Munch it’ and merchandise; Techno products including the Techno Phantom X mobile phone; WAW detergent cartons; Hawaii soap products and other consolation prizes.

Whitemoney amassed over 47 percent of votes with second place Liquorose getting a little above 22 percent. The gap was massive and tells the popularity of Whitemoney whose victory was so obvious that it needed no protestation.

Big Brother (Biggie), the coordinator of the show, commended the resilience and commitment of the last six housemates – Pere, Emmanuel, Whitemoney, Angel, Liquorose and Cross.

Biggie described Angel as the hottest girl in the house, Cross as the life of the party.

He also described Liquorose as Dancer extraordinary, Pere as laugher turned finalist-the General, Whitemoney as the resident chef and Emmanuel as Mr Africa, Mr Ultimate Veto Power Holder.

Emmanuel, who was first evicted during the finale, said he was ready to embrace career around modeling and fashion.

Angel, the second housemate evicted, said she would love to start mental health blog and invest in real estate.

Cross, the third to leave the house, said he would be involved in any form of entertainment and politics to help his mother’s ministry.

Cross said his favorite moments in the house were when he won the super commando challenge and when he was picked by Emmanuel as the deputy head of house which automatically saved him from being evicted.

“I want to invest in myself, to help my mum and to be the best version of myself,” he said.

Pere left the house, saying, “I’m open to Nollywood and music”.

The television reality show started on July 24, a journey of 10 weeks, and 24 housemates featured on the `shine ya eye’ edition.

The housemates were: Pere; Saga; Angel; Nini; Arinola; Peace; Beatrice; Princess; Saskay; Tega; Michael; Cross; Kayvee; JMK; Whitemoney; Emmanuel; Yousef; Queen; Niyi; Liquorose; JackeyB; Jaypaul; Maria; and Sammie.

Hazel Oyeze Onou, also known as Whitemoney, is a male housemate in the big brother house. BBNaija Whitmoney has been a trending name on the internet after his unveiling at the big brother Naija house. BBNaija Whitmoney described himself as a full-fledged Igbo man because of his hustling spirit.

BBNaija Whitmoney was born and raised in the eastern part of Nigeria, specifically Enugu state. BBNaija Whitmoney was born on 6th July 1992. His mother was a food seller during his childhood.

BBNaija Whitmoney lives in Lagos, where he carved out a niche for himself through his entrepreneurial skills.

Life has not been all pink for the 29-year-old lad. BBNaija Whitmoney entered Lagos to look for greener pastures; he lived under the bridges in Lagos. BBNaija Whitmoney hustled as an Okada rider in Lagos.

Whitemoney, in his own words, said, “I’ve done photography, fixed tiger generators, and fixed telecommunications mast; all because of the hustle and bustle”. His entrepreneurial ability also made him venture into barbing, selling hair products, jewelry and singing.