Celebrity nightlife promoter Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has responded fiercely to billionaire businessman Cosmas Maduka’s recent criticism of the phrase “Money Na Water,” defending it as a symbol of modern wealth and digital relevance.
Maduka, Chairman of Coscharis Group, had earlier condemned what he described as the “lavish spending culture” of the younger generation, saying he avoids events where people “throw money around.”
But in a lengthy Instagram story posted on Wednesday, Cubana Chief Priest dismissed the billionaire’s remarks, insisting that his catchphrase is not about wastefulness but about “excess liquidity, abundance, and flow.”
“With all due respect to the motivational speaking older generation who built wealth quietly,” he wrote, “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.”
He argued that visibility has become the new currency in today’s digital economy, adding, “Obscurity is bankruptcy. What you don’t show doesn’t sell. What you don’t amplify dissolves into silence.”
Chief Priest accused Maduka of using younger celebrities to trend without acknowledging their influence. “We are the noise, that’s why you know us. You had to use us to make references in your dry speech because you want to trend without paying us,” he said.
He also mocked Maduka’s alleged behaviour at public events, saying, “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.”
Defending his mantra, Chief Priest explained, “When I say ‘money na water,’ it’s not vanity – it’s a revelation of excess liquidity, abundance, and flow. Water moves. So does relevance, visibility, and influence.”
He likened attention to the “new oil field,” claiming that digital engagement now holds more leverage than silent billions. “Content is not noise. Content is digital equity. The same way factories produced wealth in the 80s, attention produces wealth today,” he said.
In a pointed jab, Chief Priest urged Maduka to “remove his name” from the list of billionaires like Tony Elumelu and Femi Otedola, whom he praised for using their wealth to give Africa global visibility.
“You mentioned Elumelu that’s my mentor in 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,” he said.
He concluded by reaffirming his philosophy: “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.”
