The day my business partner disappeared with our remaining cash

Two years ago, I pooled my life savings with two friends to import a container of phones from Guangzhou. We were so sure we had cracked it. The math was simple: buy low, sell high, split the profit. We even celebrated with beer before the shipment left China.

Then the container got stuck at the port. Weeks turned into months. Customs kept asking for 'charges' we couldn't afford. My phone rang nonstop with agents demanding money. We drained our accounts trying to free it.

Then the real blow came. One of my partners, the one who handled the cash, vanished. Just like that. His phone stopped ringing. His shop in Onitsha was empty. He took the little money we had left and disappeared.

I sat in my shop one evening, counting what remained. Almost nothing. My mother called, asking how business was. I told her fine. God when? I almost gave up.

But Aba doesn't raise quitters. I started over, selling accessories on credit from a friend. Slowly, I rebuilt. Today, that container is still stuck somewhere, a lesson in iron and rust.

What did it teach me? Trust is good, but paper is better. Now I sign everything. And I thank God for the lesson, even though it cost me everything.