Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi has revealed what Africans go through once they become rich.
He said when you are rich in Africa, the money does not belong to you alone because you will always have family bills to take care of, adding that cousins, in-laws and others will be looking up to for financial help.
He also said that some of them will go to the extent of having so many kids that they can’t take care of because they have a rich brother or sister.
He said a lot of people are going through this, but they will never come to the media to say it over fear of blackmail.
While sharing his views recently during a podcast interview, he said;
“You get threatened by your own blood, your own. When you come from Africa, and this is something I don’t think we speak a lot about, when you make money, it’s not your money.
“You have all these relatives, cousins, whatever you call it. Yeah. You know, and your sisters, they go off and they get married to some guy who just wants to get married to John Obi Mikel’s family, because my life is sorted. And then you start looking after this guy.
“Before you know it, you’re looking at them. They keep having so many kids and so many kids, and you look at it, okay, you’re having this many kids, who’s going to look after them? It’s you.
“For them, you owe them that. So, sometimes you have to be strong and say, you know what, guys, enough is enough, I don’t care. They give you this thing whereby, if you don’t do it, we’re going to go to the press. Oh, wow. After all, I’ve done for you guys. But this happens a lot.
In Africa, I’m telling you, not everybody comes out and speaks about it, because we’re thinking, how are we going to talk about this?”
Watch the interview below;
