Catholic Priest Criticizes Nigerians Rebranding Old iPhones as iPhone 17, Calls It ‘Poverty Mentality’
Rev. Fr. Kelvin Ugwu has criticized Nigerians rebranding old iPhones as fake iPhone 17 Pro Max.
He called it a poverty mentality and urged people to stop pretending to be wealthy.
A Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev. Father Kelvin Ugwu, has condemned the growing trend of Nigerians converting older iPhone XR models into fake iPhone 17 Pro Max devices.
According to the priest, the act reflects what he described as an “untreated inherent disease” known as poverty mentality. Many Nigerians reportedly purchase these repackaged phones to appear wealthy or keep up social status.
In a post shared online, Fr. Ugwu wrote:
“It is lack of contentment, an untreated inherent disease called poverty mentality, and the obsession with pretending to be what you are not that make grown men and women buy an iPhone XR repackaged as an iPhone 17 Pro Max just to appear rich.
“You don’t need to own an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Those who do, aside from showing off in mirror selfies and videos, what’s the big deal? Even that behavior is childish.
“Sometimes, you must free yourself from the sickness of trying to impress others, as if you owe anyone an explanation for how you live.
“After flaunting your iPhone 17 Pro Max, what next? Will it give you long life?” he added.
