Economic Importance Of Relationships: Why The Rich Marry The Rich

By Dim Ikechukwu

At one point in time in life we have had relationships with people or still in one as the case maybe. Relationships create a bond and feeling of acceptance with people we cherish or adore. It makes us feel safe when we are around them.

According to Collins dictionary a relationship can be defined as a close connection between two people, especially one involving romantic or sexual feelings. Being in a relationship could seem more challenging because you are faced with the task of understanding and knowing each other enough to become compatible.

It’s bliss when you find that one person that completes your other half. There’s a saying that “love is sweet but it’s sweeter when there’s money”, this phrase tries to explain the importance of wealth in a relationship. Naturally people want to mingle with people in the same class or higher than them because they believe it’s a way to sustain the family wealth network.

What are the economic importance of relationships? The primary objective of every relationship is to become a family bonded by love. Most marriages in the wealthy class are fixed marriages. Their parents play a huge role in determining who their children marry based on financial and social status.

“This matching pattern among the rich accounted for an increase in inequality of income in the United States of America between 1960 and 2005”, for Nigeria the statistics are not available but there are also kids from wealthy backgrounds who got married to lower class families and still live happily. This doesn’t erase the fact that people from poor backgrounds do not rise to the top.

Here is the list of prominent wealthy families that got married within their class;

President Buhari’s youngest daughter, Hanan got married to Turad Sha’aban, son of a former lawmaker and Emir Zazzau, Mahmud Sani Sha’aban on 4th september, 2020. The groom’s father holds a robust relationship with President Buhari since their days at the defunct All Nigerian Political Party (ANNP) to the present day at All Progressive Party (APC).

Chief Gabriel Chukwuma (Gabros) gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to the son of a billionaire Chief Charles Okereke on 27th December, 2014. Both families are from Nnewi in Anambra State and Chief Gabriel Chukwuma happens to be the elder brother of Chief Innocent Chukwuma, CEO Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing.

Another remarkable wedding happened between Onyinye, the daughter of Chief Dr Innocent Chukwuma, The CEO of Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing and Emeka the Son of Chief Izuchukwu Onwugbenu, Chairman Louise Carter Group in April 2014. Both families are from Nnewi in Anambra State and are among the top wealthy Igbo families in Nigeria.

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Fatima, the daughter of Aliko Dangote got married to Jamil, the son of the former Inspector General of Police Mohammed Dikko Abubakar in March 2018. This ceremony was graced by men of valor from the likes of Bill Gate, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, Femi Otedola and many others.

This marriage fixing among the elite has impacted our society in so many ways. Elites seal business deals and connections by marrying themselves. Their children most times are not in support but are made to bend to their rules and this passes on from generation to generation.

An average lady from a poor background in Nigeria sees marriage as a means to escape poverty while pressure is always on the male folks to struggle just to make ends meet. So the elite see these poor people as gold diggers seeking greener pastures and they try their possible best to terminate the relationship, so they start exposing their children to their friend’s children.

This has encouraged the circulation of wealth within the elites. This gives them the opportunity of growing more income and having a stake in the political sphere. This fuels an average man to work harder just to meet those standards. To some it’s an inspiration, to others it’s marginalization.

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There have been cases where parents reject suitors because they fall below their class-line. This is similar to educated young people, who choose other well educated young people as their partner, then their children are likely to have a better start in life and they keep this going from one generation to the other. They attend the best schools in the country and in most cases travel out of the country to obtain a foreign degree and give their children a better life. Who wouldn’t want a taste of wealth?

Though we still have few wealthy parents who still allow their children to marry whoever they wish to marry regardless of family background, financial or social status, they are minute. This begs the question; do people still marry for love? There are a lot of reasons why people marry these days which has defeated the institution of marriage. These elites believe one can learn to love in marriage but it’s not always true.

In conclusion, “soup wey sweet na money kill am” meaning good soup is made with good money. The rich keep getting richer by marrying themselves while the poor struggle to meet up or be left behind. Hustle ooooh….