Photo credit: Business Day
I just heard the saying, ‘e pepper for mouth’ from the streets. I am not an ‘area boy’, neither am I an ‘area father’. Indeed, the only celebrated area father I know is C. Boy!
However, I always say I am streetwise. But something happened to me in 1999 that put my so-called street wisdom to shame! However, that’s a story for some other day.
Now, ‘e pepper for mouth’ means an embarrassing situation.
Take the case of Nigeria’s commercial banks and their clients. Banking transactions, the last time I checked,, were supposed to be confidential. Maybe they might change tomorrow.
Why should banks have to publish the names of their major debtors in newspapers? If such debtors had used collaterals to obtain the facilities, would it not have been much more sensible for the banks to take over such collaterals when those clients refuse to pay back the loans? Of course, I know due process, in terms of litigations must take time.
I am of the opinion that some people, in some places have failed, to do some vital things. But then, I am a certified illiterate in banking procedures.
By the way, the exercise was quite revealing in some ways. Who would have known that some people were collecting dumbfounding amounts for agriculture and yet we import virtually every food item. If gari is importable, I’m sure we’ll be taking ‘Made In Taiwan’ gari now.
Now, we’ve started seeing the results of the money-wasting exercise. Some are already heading for the courts to sue them for damages, because they did not owe the banks in the first place.
A comical case is the one where a person said he was only used to fill in the gap to satisfy all righteousness. Well,if the matter goes to court, it will be very interesting.
All we can say, at least for now, is that…..’e pepper for mouth’.
080715
