Baba Alajo Series: Setting Out (Episode 2)

A popular saying goes thus “No food for a lazy man”. I wonder if it is to make the lazy man work because I don’t seem to get it. That saying has so many threats in it. If I decide not to work, then eating shouldn’t be your headache. It should be mine right? This works if you are abroad because if you are in this country with me and you don’t work, hehehehehehe. I laugh in SAPA. In Nigeria, even the handicapped who used to beg hardly get money these days. They have resorted to selling handkerchiefs and small chops in traffic. This country is not a place for laziness. For here (saying “here” with the H factor), you must work.

Early this morning, Dele my printer brought in the booklets for my Ajo contribution. I told him vividly to use purple and white as the background color and he ended up using lilac and white. The annoying part was when he started arguing with me that both colors are the same. He continued that if I checked again at night, the lilac would look purple. I had to collect it from him just because I had promised my intended customers to be accountable for the use of the Ajo booklet. 

With great joy, I carried my books and gave those who indicated an interest in joining the scheduled contribution. The book comes with a basic description of name, sex, and location. And the next page contains amounts in naira which you can just tick alongside the date. Like auxiliary nurses, I now hold a red and blue pen. LOL. You miss a date like this I mark with red biro straight. 

I was able to talk and spur some people into joining my group. Most of them were from the Markets and neighboring streets. I chose these people because they have a stable income that comes to them daily, so defaulting might not be an issue. They were those I knew beforehand so I can just use them to test run and build credibility for my business. 

I explained to those in the marketplace that Ajo has proven to be a very reliable financial and credit system for those who do not normally have the time to access banks and other financial institutions. It is even very beneficial for those who do not have collateral security to borrow loans. A lot reasoned it with me and saw the need for it. 

Mama Waje who was the chief announcer took this personally and got some of her friends in the market to join. They filled the booklets and stated the amounts intended to be saved. Although I had a few issues with the handling of those books. Mama Waje and her folks rubbed oil on it while filling it out but no problem.

As of now, I have been able to onboard 10 members. I am proud to announce to you that Ajo is marching forward and the gates of SAPA shall not prevail over it.