For the
thousandth time that morning, Sanmi looked down at his phone and the SMS alert
displayed on it, still unable to believe what he was seeing.
His salary alert
ought to be 80,000 naira, just like it had been for the past 7 months, but what
he was seeing on his screen was 80,000,000.
“80 million, 80 million,
80 million,” he whispered to himself, again and again. How was it even possible?
How?
“Sanmi, are you
okay?”
He dropped the
phone quickly and looked up to see Gideon, his partner in the company’s IT department
staring hard at him, a few worry furrows evident on his fleshy forehead.
“Yes, yes, I am
okay…”
“Are you sure? You
have been unusually quiet today.” He stood up as though he wanted to take a
closer look to confirm his fears and was able to. “You even look unsettled.”
Oga, mind your business, jor, Sanmi
thought to himself, but, aloud, he said. “I am fine o. Just trying to solve
this server error.” Then he quickly changed the subject by saying, “Omo, this
rain does not want to stop. I hope it won’t rain for the whole of today at this
rate.”
Gideon shrugged.
“Even if it does, na showers of
blessings. Or didn’t you notice the rain brought in salary alert? They don’t usually
pay this early.”
If only you knew, Sanmi thought. His mind travelled back to the alert.
It was clear that somehow, an error had been made in paying him. The N80m he
had received was a thousand times more than his rightful pay. And that singular
error had now dunked him into the biggest dilemma of his life. Should he go to
the accounts department and report the error, or should he just keep mum and
take it as showers of blessing?
“O’ boy, make I
try resolve this problem jare, make I
get myself,” he said to Gideon and pretended to return to work. But his mind
was still overwhelmed by his dilemma.
Give yourself brain, man, one mind said
to him. This is an opportunity of a life
time. This is beyond showers of blessing; it is tsunami of blessing. This is
eighty freaking million we are talking about here. That’s not moi-moi money.
Imagine how your life would change.
What if you are caught, another mind
reasoned. What if the company finds out
the error and get you arrested? You will end up in jail. Your life will be ruined.
You have to report it.
Hold on. How am I even sure this is not just
an alert error. How am I sure that such an amount of money is actually sitting
in my account? He mentally shot back at the two voices. Before I give myself migraine here. I need to confirm the money is
actually real.
He shot off his
seat. “Gideon, I am coming. Let me quickly buy something outside.” And before
the ever-inquisitive Gideon could ask what exactly he wanted to buy, he hurried
off.
He hustled his
tall, rangy form out of his office as quickly as his long legs could go, not
minding the still showering rain, aiming for the ATM machine situated opposite the
building. He was happy to see that there was no queue there. He slotted in his
card quickly and checked his account balance.
80,001,253 was
the figure the ATM console threw back at him.
So it was no
error. There were really millions sitting in his account. Actual millions! His
legs almost gave way beneath him, so deep his shock. In fact, he stood there shaking
like he was about to drop into an epileptic fit. It was one thing seeing that
figure on his small phone screen; quite another to see it displayed so boldly
on the screen of an ATM.
Sanmi, you better make use of this golden opportunity
that God has dropped on your laps, Voice Number 1 returned. Like they say, opportunity comes knocking
once. This will change your life completely; your children, your wife, your
mother; all your lives will change…
Sanmi, do the right thing, Voice Number 2
countered.
Back in the office,
he could not get any work done. He was consumed by the war that raged on in his
mind, the tussle between Voice Number 1 and Voice Number 2, each trying to convince
him on the action to take.
True, he badly
wanted to do as Voice Number 1 asked. Who wouldn’t? The struggle that had been
his life so far, the suffering, the endless inability to make ends meet… this
was the perfect solution to it. His kids would want for nothing ever again. He would
not have to worry about rent and school fees anymore. He would get them the
best of everything they needed; which they more than deserved. Yet, the fear
Voice Number 2 had cast in his mind was a pretty valid one. What if the error
was noticed and he got arrested for not reporting? What if he ended up in jail?
Forget that one, there are ways to protect
yourself. It’s very easy. Withdraw the money, all of it. Abscond with your
family. Is it not who the police find that they will jail? Voice Number 1 advised.
Just think about it… you will finally
have a car; your children will go to the best schools and their school fees
will always be paid on time; no more embarrassments. You will have your own house,
your wife will be the envy of other women, you will be travelling abroad like
someone that is going to the market. You can even relocate abroad completely.
But Voice Number
2 was not done either. “If you run away
with your immediate family, what about your Mum? What if they put her in jail because of you…
Voice 1: Simple, you will just take her with
you…
Voice 2: What about your siblings, will you
take them all with you too? That’s not possible. So, will you let one of them
suffer for your sins? You would also be a wanted man forever. You will never be
able to run for any political position in the future…
Voice 1: Who political position help!
Voice 2: You will never be able to run an
account, neither would your wife, because your fingerprints would be used to
hunt you down for this crime. Can you risk being a wanted criminal all your
life and thereby tainting your children’s future?
Sanmi had had
enough. He jumped to his feet and marched toward the accounts department. He
would report the error once and for all and end this tumult.
But his burst of
bravado fizzled out the moment he arrived at the door, and he hesitated. The thought of letting go of all that money
was painful.
He looked up, as
though to the skies, “Oh God, what should I do? Should I do the right thing and
report this money, or should I risk it and run away with it?”
What do you
think he should do?
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