Last night, I had called my next-door neighbor into my room because I needed his help with something. The moment he walked in, he didn't let me talk; he just began lamenting about how he really needed to up his game and hustle harder.
He was seated with his group of friends outside before I had called him, and apparently, his friends were talking about millions of naira that they've made through fraud, of course, while he just sat there, looking at them talk and not being able to contribute to the conversation.
“I just won't be able to do what they did,” he had also said, implying that these guys don't only indulge in fraudulent activities but have actually taken theirs a step further by including diabolical means in theirs.
If you're not from this part of the world, then you probably wouldn't believe in voodoo or black magic, but a lot of people over here still do. As a matter of fact, I believe this is why religion thrives a lot in this part of the world because if you believe in black magic, then you must also believe in a powerful being who's able to shield you from that black magic.
Anyway, this neighbor tried to be a bit secretive with his words, but I could easily tell that he was quickly becoming pressured indirectly by these friends of his to go do what they did. And unfortunately, things like this usually come at a price; it could be the death of a loved one or something really crazy.
So I had immediately asked him one question: I had asked him if he didn't like the fact that everyone in his family was still well and alive today. He didn't answer; I didn't expect him to, but I could tell from the looks in his eyes that the question did what it was meant to do: it made him take a pause and really think about what was more important to him, the money or his family.
Unfortunately, if he keeps on hanging out with friends like that and keeps on listening to their conversations about how much money they make, I fear he might end up choosing to go down the same road that they did.
