Deyodee: MMM – The Losers & the Wailing Wailers

So we all woke up to the news of the crash of the popular Ponzi Scheme MMM (the Mavrodi Mondial Movement/Moneybox) which had been making waves in Nigeria in recent months. To be sincere, when I heard the news, I couldn’t care less. I didn’t invest in it, and I didn’t recall knowing anyone personally who did at that time until it crashed.

It is rather unfortunate though, that this news does not just want to go away. Please can you all “hush it”? The most ridiculous part of having this news being discussed at every corner I turn is that those talking about it are actually the people who are eager to say “I told you so”. I really do not understand why anybody will get stuck up on discussing and having a blast at someone else’s loss.

As much as I didn’t want to know about this, at every corner I turn, people are discussing it. I hear some people invested and lost millions.

Dear Nigerians, please take several seats. Why will you be thrilled that someone lost money? It is their money, it was their decision. The Nigerian economy is in recession and frankly no one is 100% sure of the returns on whatever they invest in.

I remember like 9 years ago when I got my first job after NYSC. It was a bank job and I saved every penny I could, and because I was not ready to lose my savings, I went for the safest option available. The Stock market! Well I don’t need to tell you how that went down. I was depressed for days before I snapped out of it.

Our currency is fluctuating like a yoyo and losing its value daily; people who import things to sell have also had losses from buying FX and their capital getting eroded daily and no one is immune to the devaluation of the Naira. Even when you put your money in treasury bills and fixed deposits, the interest earned is not enough to augment the loss you have made on that money if you convert it to dollars.

This piece is not written to advocate Ponzi schemes, but to let all of you “financial experts” who have turned up your nose at the “MMMers” to look into your finances first and be sure they are worth more than they did 12months ago.

I know some of you will turn this into a religious issue and say they robbed Peter to pay Paul. Well, have you ever heard the term “volunti non fit injuria”- in law this means “to a willing person, injury is not done”. If Peter did not join MMM, his money would not have been given to Pay Paul.

After all said and done, my dear “MMMers” I empathize with you for the loss/freezing of your money, and as much as I am irritated by all the judgmental talk and ridicule, we need to tell ourselves some hard truth. I hope you are bracing yourself incase come January 14th nothing happens, don’t let one mistake discourage you there are lots of businesses (with actual products/service) out there you can still invest in. I am glad you all used your spare money for MMM, now dip into your pocket of “unspare” money and go invest in a business with a tangible product. Read some books about the millionaires, at some point in their journey, they made some choices that resulted into huge losses but not only did they bounce back, they learnt from that mistake, re-strategized and they are where they are today.

Make that decision today for the sake of your BP that you will go into the New Year with your mind made up, lost forever or unfrozen, you will move on and you will thrive.

Deyodee- signing out!

Photo Credit: Karen Struthers | Dreamstime.com