My Husband Gave Me ₦3m To Start A Shop, Then Tried To Take It Back

A Nigerian woman shared how she rebuilt her life after her marriage took a hard turn. She was not born into wealth. Before marriage six years ago, she taught in a primary school and earned ₦85,000. She supported her parents and paid her siblings’ fees. After marrying a man she described as a successful electronics dealer, he insisted she quit teaching three months into the marriage. He gave her ₦3 million for a wholesale provisions shop and bought an industrial freezer. The business grew for about five years. Things allegedly changed after their second daughter. She said her husband began staying out late, with rumors of hotels and bars with younger women. He reportedly took rice and goods from her shop for visiting relatives without paying. When she complained, he shouted and said it was his money that started the shop. Her mother advised her: "A woman without a backdoor will sleep in the rain when the storm comes." She started building that "backdoor." Quietly, she joined a contribution group (ajo/esusu) and saved without his knowledge. She told him the shop was struggling due to power outages and rising prices. She saved into a private account, bought a plot of land in her father’s village under her maiden name, and opened another wholesale shop in a different town with her sister managing it. Fearing sexually transmitted infections due to his alleged lifestyle, she moved to a guest room. He threatened divorce as his own business declined. He then demanded the original shop back to sell off goods and pay debts. By then, she said she had secured her future. She relocated with her two daughters to the town where her sister ran the second shop and invested more savings. Six months later, she said her life stabilized. According to her, he now sends threats to sue for the ₦3 million and seek custody. She says she is no longer afraid: "I have my own house, my own business, and my children are safe." Her lesson is clear: be prepared and be independent. "The storm came, but I had my backdoor ready."

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