It took a few weeks for Chioma Akachi to accept that her money was truly gone. She had saved N2,000 daily for 22 days with the local ‘ajo’ man popularly called Mr. Matthew, who made rounds every week day at shops and homes in Fola-Agoro and Akoka areas of Lagos. ‘Ajo’ is a Yoruba term that refers to contributory savings, usually by workers, petty traders and small scale business owners, and managed by an individual who gets a percentage of the money gathered at a time as his or her benefit.
Operating under the business name ‘Matt Daily Savings’, he collected an agreed amount from interested savers for 31 days and deducted one day’s savings before returning the customers’ money. However, sometime last month, after collecting over two weeks savings from a number of his customers, he disappeared without giving them any notice and has not been seen since then.
It was not her first time of saving with Mr Matthew, she said. She had been his customer for six months and had some amount of trust in him.
“I have been doing ‘ajo’ with Mr Matthew since I got this shop in January. When I started, I was saving N500 every day. Then later I increased it to N1,000, and then to N2,000. I have been seeing him every weekday for the past six months, until he disappeared last month with a lot of people’s money.”
Even after rumors of his disappearance spread, Mrs Akachi said she still believed that he would show up but had recently given up hope. She said she was introduced to him by a friend who has been his customer for more than two years. The friend, a certain Beatrice Nnaji who sold food stuff and drinks, had a shop two blocks away from hers. Mrs Nnaji recounted a sorry tale. “Because of Mr Matthew, a lot of people are now fighting with me. I introduced him to more than 10 people and he ran away with all our money. They have reported me to my pastor and my husband. Some of them even wanted to take me to the police because they thought I was working with him. He has just spoilt my name.”
Posted: at 28-07-2010 02:41 PM (14 years ago) | Upcoming
What happened to banks that poeple will still do this kind of savings ?
"Those who will say nothing in the face of tyranny must endure the rule of idiots . All that you need for evil to triumph is for the good people to keep quiet and do nothing".
Posted: at 28-07-2010 02:50 PM (14 years ago) | Hero
its very normal , and not only in nigeria peoples do that , its also practicable every where , GOD will surely expose him to those inocent peoples one day
Posted: at 28-07-2010 09:43 PM (14 years ago) | Grande Master
"Those who will say nothing in the face of tyranny must endure the rule of idiots . All that you need for evil to triumph is for the good people to keep quiet and do nothing".
Posted: at 29-07-2010 08:21 AM (14 years ago) | Hero
its very normal , and not only in nigeria peoples do that , its also practicable every where , GOD will surely expose him to those inocent peoples one day
Posted: at 29-07-2010 08:49 AM (14 years ago) | Grande Master
"Those who will say nothing in the face of tyranny must endure the rule of idiots . All that you need for evil to triumph is for the good people to keep quiet and do nothing".
Posted: at 29-07-2010 09:26 AM (14 years ago) | Hero
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