Ikilọ̀ fún Ayáni-lówó tipátipá – Warning for rogue payday loan firms
À ńlo ọ̀rọ̀ yi fún àwọn Ayáni-lówó: ki ba jẹ Ilé-owó tàbi àwọn Ayáni-lówó yókù. Ọ̀pọ̀ ìgbà, Ayáni-lówó ló ndá orin nipa oye èlé ti wọn lè fi lé owó ti Onígbèsè ya.
Ni ilẹ̀ Yorùbá ohun ti a lè fi ṣe àpèjúwe Ilé-iṣẹ́ Ayáni-lówó ni bi Ọba bá fún ni nilẹ̀ lati fi dá oko, Ọba lè ni ki irú ẹni bẹ kó idá-mẹrin, tàbi idá-marun irè oko nã wá ni igbà ìkórè. Àwọn miran tún ma ńyá owó lọwọ Olówó-èlé. Ẹ̀yà Yorùbá ti a mọ si Ìjẹ̀ṣà ma ńṣe òwò aṣọ àti wúrà tità lati ilú dé ilú àti agbègbè dé agbègbè. Bi wọn ba ti ta àwin fún onibara, bi ọjọ́ bá pé, Ìjẹ̀ṣà á ji lọ si ilé Onígbèsè lati gba owó ọjà, á ni “Òṣó mã ló gbowó mi loni” nitori eyi ni wọn fi npe Ìjẹ̀ṣà ni “Òṣó mã ló”.
Ike-ìyáwó kò wọ́pọ̀ ni ilẹ̀ Yorùbá, ṣùgbọ́n àwọn enia ma ńyá owó lọ́wọ́ ẹbi, ọ̀rẹ́, ẹgbẹ́ àti bẹ̃bẹ lọ, lati sin òkú, sán owó ilé iwé ọmọ, ṣòwò àti fún ọ̀pọ̀ idi miran. Èlé owó irú eyi kò pọ̀ tó ti èlé ori Ike-ìyáwó, nigbà miran kò ki ni èlé.
Gẹ́gẹ́ bi ọ̀rọ̀ ti ó ni:“Ẹni sanwó Onífèrè ló ndá orin”. Ayáni-lówó ló ńdá orin nipa di dari èlé ori owó Ike-ìyáwó. Ẹni ti o fi owó pamọ́ ki ri èlé gbà tó èlé ti ó wà lori owò Ike-ìyáwó. Nibiti èlé owó ipamọ́ bá jẹ́ idá-ọgọrun, èlé owó ori ike-iyawo lè tó idá-marun tàbi jù bẹ̃ lọ. Bi owó bá ti tó san, ọ̀pọ̀ Ayáni-lówó lè fi ipá gba owó irú bẹ̃. Bi wọn kò ti ẹ̀ fi ipá gba irú owó bẹ̃, èlé ori owó yi á sọ ẹni ti ó yá owó di Onigbèsè rẹpẹtẹ.
Ike-ìyáwó ni iwúlò fún ẹni ti ó bá lè kó ara rẹ ni ijánu lati dá owó padà nigbati ó bá yẹ. Ike-ìyáwó dùn lati nọ́ ju owó gidi lọ nitori eyi, fún ẹni ti kò bá mọ owó ṣirò tàbi ṣọ́ra, á sọ irú ẹni bẹ̃ di òtòṣi, nigbati èlé bá gun ori èlé. Onigbèsè pàdánù òmìnira.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
This adage is used in comparisim with Money Lenders: it could be either the Bank or other Private Lenders. Often, Money Lenders dictates the tune by fixing the amount of interest on the amount loaned.
In Yoruba land, what can be used as an example is like when the King loan a land to a farmer to use for farming, the King can request for one fifth or a quarter of the harvest from the farm as interest. Some borrow money from Private Money Lenders. One of the Yoruba ethnic group known as “Ijesa” engage in trading/merchandising of clothes and gold from town to town and from region to region. When they sell on credit to customers, at the agreed time of payment, they go at dawn to the house of the Debtor to recover the money owed while saying “In squatting will I collect my money today” as a result of this, they are nicknamed as “He/she who squats”.
Credit card is not common among in Yoruba land, but people do borrow from family members, friends, colleagues/society group etc, for funeral rites; school fees; trading and for other reasons. This type of loan does not attract a high interest like the Credit Card and sometimes it does not interest.
According to the adage that said: “He who pays the Piper, dictates the tune”. Lenders dictates the tune by fixing the interest at their discretion. People who saves never attracts as much interest as the interest on Credit Cards. While the interest on Savings is one percent, the interest on Credit Card/Loans could attract as much as twenty percent or more. When the money is due for payment, some Lenders can use force to collect such money. Even when no force is used, the interest on the loan could have increased to turn the Borrower to a huge Debtor.
Credit Card has its advantage for a disciplined person who is able to repay the money as at when due. Credit Card encourages easy spend than raw cash, as a result, someone who is not calculative or careful could become impoverished as interest continue to mount up. Debtors forfeit their freedom.
