Pleasant greetings to you all!
It waa a bright sunny day and I was headed to the bank for some financial transactions. It wasn't a hassle as I lived close to various banks, some were just a stone throw away. I was walking and smiling while checking with my hands to feel the withdrawal booklet I kept in my pocket. The feeling of getting some cash from the bank was making me hyper😁.
After a few minutes of walking, I entered the bank and stayed behind the last person on the queue (this was way back in 2008, when no ATM existed yet). While awaiting my turn to meet with the teller and begin my transaction, something untoward happened. A woman probably in her early sixties slumped to the ground and began wailing hysterically, causing a pandemonium in the banking hall.
" Madam, what happened to you?
"Are you feeling ok?".
These and more questions thrown her way, to which no response came. A kind banker stood up and brought some water for the old woman to drink but she refused and that was when she began to narrate her story.
Her husband had told her four months back that he was traveling to kogi state for a contract job, claiming he would keep in touch but since he traveled, he had not sent his family a dime for upkeep and feeding. The major thing was that their young children's fees were due but her husband's phone was no longer reacheable and she decided to come withdraw some money from their joint account so as to pay off the school fees debt, only to find out from the cashierr that the account is empty,whhhaaaat!😱
"But I thought a joint account needed two signatories before any withdrawal was made?" I threw that question out on impulse and it was affirmed that such was the case. But it turned out that the husband had forged her signature and signed it and the last transaction was four months back, the very day he left for his so called contract.
When some evidences were provided for the woman to see, it became clear to all of us what the man head done. He had absconded with all their savings, leaving her penniless. The worst is that this old woman survived with four children on roasting groundnuts for sale, believing that her husband would send home some money one day.
Hmm, I became weak in the knees as her excruciating painful tears touched my heart. How could a man do this to his own family? I pondered in silence while fuming at the injustice that the woman was passing through.
Further discussions with the woman plus the bank evidence showed that the account held six hundred thousand naira (equivalent to about 3.6million now), which had been saved over the span of four years, when her husband became a contractor. The purpose of the joint account was to kerp money aside for their kids education or an emergency but now the money is gone, courtesy of her beloved husband. She was later assisted with some money by some willing customers in the bank..too bad😥
I have heard stories of same plot, where either spouses abscond with money that was kept in a joint account but this one witnessed with my eyes and ears pained me a lot and it engraved an irremovable mark in my heart.
I admire those couples who tried running a joint account and was successful in it but I dare say that it is not a safe venture at all. It is true that in marriage, whatever belongs to one belongs to all, like the Spanish cliche "mi casa su casa" and that was how it was meant to be but with the changing times and moral degradation, I call for ultimate *financial wisdom.
An English proverb says don't put all your eggs in one basket, I totally agree when it comes to managing finances in marriage. I would advice that a percentage of the income be kept in a joint account while each partner reserved the right to deal "wisely" with their money as they deem fit as long as no one and nothing suffers in the marriage and home.
With the increased uncertainties that life throws our way, I feel the need for individuals to be more financially upstanding in order to be able to weather whatever storm that might crop up. Although two have become one in a legal union, there is still individuality in unity and that should be respected.
So, my take on this is have a joint account as a couple where money is put aside together for future plans but still each partner should maintain a separate account as well for financial freedom and fluidity.
Thank you all for reading. This is my entry to the #hivenaijaweeklyprompt contest #51.
First image is mine.