The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional, and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
Cynthia tried to be a brother’s keeper by offering to co-sign a car loan for a fellow Nigerian in Canada four years ago – that decision has caused her regrets, pain and financial loss since then. In this edition of Abroad Life, she shares how the debtor evaded arrest in Canada and travelled to Nigeria to get married while her credit continues to suffer.
Where do you currently live, and when did you relocate from Nigeria?
I live in Alberta, Canada. I left Nigeria in 2015 but was in Australia before moving to Canada.
Why did you leave Australia for Canada?
I was just curious about Canada. It was my first choice, and when I got the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, it was a better option than Australia, where I had a working visa. Canada was also way cheaper and had what I was looking for.
How long did you live in Australia?
About four and a half years.
Wow. So, how has life been since you moved to Canada?
It’s been good. I came during COVID-19, so there was a lot of uncertainty when I started my journey here. I stayed in a friend’s basement for the first few months before getting my one-bed apartment. I felt very alone in the first few months.
Has that changed?
I’ve been trying to have more fun than I typically allow myself to. I’ve also taken it upon myself to go the extra mile to meet new people. Sometimes, I volunteer and do whatever I can to connect with the community. But I’ve had one experience that scarred me here in Canada.
What happened?
While trying to make new friends and connect with other Nigerians, I met a guy who happened to be Nigerian. We eventually became friendly, but things took a different turn when he needed to buy a car. After he told me about his plans, I saw a Facebook ad for a company that sells cars to people with no credit history or poor credit, which was the category he fell into. I contacted them and told them my friend wanted to buy a car. After starting the conversation with them, I sent him their details. This was 2021, by the way. After he started the conversation with them, they contacted me again and asked if I could help him co-sign so he could take out a loan to buy the car.
Oh… That’s an ask
They also added that I would be taken off the co-sign deal after 6 months. Knowing that I’d be held responsible if the person forfeited his loan, I made him assure me that he wouldn’t give me any reason to regret my decision, which he did. I also confirmed with the company again if they wouldn’t start telling stories when it’s time to drop off from the co-sign deal. They assured me and said they wanted to give me a $1,000 incentive for referring a customer to them.
What happened next?
I collected the referral bonus and gave the guy out of it so he could add it to whatever he had to repay. The car itself was about $20,000 by the way.
I was too trusting and rolled with everything the guy and the car company said. I chose to help because he was Nigerian, and I would like to be helped if I ever found myself in that position. After some time, the agent I spoke to at that company stopped picking up my calls, so I decided to call the company’s direct line. Mind you, this was now almost a year later. The company connected me to someone else who told me that the guy I stood in for would have to reapply for the loan without me and get approved before they could remove me. He reapplied the first time but wasn’t approved.
What went wrong?
I can’t say for sure. For whatever reason, he chose not to reapply after the first one didn’t go through. At this point, this guy and I were no longer in the same city. He was still repaying the loan I co-signed, but sometimes, he wouldn’t pay or be late. The company will always call me first. There was a time when he missed the 30-day payment mark, so my credit got hit, which affected me. I was in a new city at the time, trying to get insurance for my car. They didn’t allow me to pay monthly because that affected my credit. I had to pay a lump sum for one year of insurance, which is a lot of money.
I can’t explain enough how stressed I was by everything happening in that period. Anyway, I tried to call him after that, but he stopped responding. He would respond to some messages and ignore others. He blamed it on poor reception and made other excuses. I kept getting several calls from the car company. My credit kept getting worse. I spoke to some lawyers to see if there was a way I could get myself out of that situation, but there was nothing they could do. I was so frustrated. You know how I mentioned that he was still occasionally responding to messages?
Yes. Did that change?
He stopped. I started wondering if he was dead. The loan was still about $18,000 at this point, but I was no longer hearing from him. He also blocked me on social media. I found his family members on social media and started sending them messages. They didn’t respond, so I dropped the messages in their comments section. That forced him to reach out to me. His sister also sent a message, telling me to stop what I was doing. The guy and I later had a long conversation, and he said he would sell the car and ultimately pay off the loan. Guess what?
What?
He didn’t sell the car; he ghosted again. The lawyer I contacted before suggested arresting him, but we were friends, and I didn’t want to go down that road, so I tried reaching him again. He reached out, too and told me that he lost his brother. I was sad for him at this point, but it felt like another excuse to evade his responsibility. Later, I learned that the guy went to Nigeria to get married. I found his wife on LinkedIn, where she was teaching people how to make money. I reached out to her, and she kept saying he would pay. They all ghosted again after that. I had to start the legal process. I’ve tried to serve him twice, but no luck. I know the guy is no longer at the address he gave me.
That’s insane!
It is. Later, he contacted me again and said he had sold the car. But that didn’t do much because the interest had accumulated, and I was still repaying it out of my pocket. I’ve been on this shit for almost four years, and the loan still isn’t fully paid. That single decision has affected my life badly.
I’m sorry. Is there hope of getting out of this situation soon?
There’s less money to pay now. But the emotional effect is still as daunting as ever; I have grown not to trust people. For example, instead of partnering up with someone else to buy a property for investment, I’d rather do it alone or not. I’m still repaying out of my pocket. But I got a new job, and it pays more.
I’m happy for you. On a scale of one to 10, how happy would you say your life is in Canada?
Funny enough, it’s still a solid seven. My family and friends are supporting me through this, and I love the life I’m building here. My business is also thriving, so that’s a win for me.
Do you want to share your Abroad Life story? Please reach out to me here. For new episodes of Abroad Life, check in every Friday at 12 PM (WAT).
