I slept at Apapa port for 3 weeks. My own clearing agent almost finished me.

Two years ago I put every kobo I had into a container of phone accessories from China. I mean EVERYTHING. The clearing agent said my goods don land, just send the clearing fees and everything go smooth. I sent the money. Then he started giving me stories. First it was 'the terminal is congested', then 'dem dey inspect the container', then he stopped picking my calls.

I went to Apapa myself. Slept there for three weeks. In my car. Eating bread and pure water. I watched other people's containers come and go while mine sat there because the agent had not even submitted the documents. The man was collecting money from multiple people using the same fake bill of lading. Police no help, customs no help. I was ready to lose everything until a childhood friend from Aba helped me with the money to re-process the clearing myself.

The lesson I learned is simple: never trust a middleman without receipts. Always verify the documents yourself. And if a deal looks too smooth, somebody is planning to use your head as an umbrella. God is involved, but you still need to do your own due diligence. Wetin don almost finish you before?