The advice I ignored, and still regret, was from my older brother Tunde, who told me not to put all my savings into a friend's business without a written agreement. That was about four years ago, when I'd just started working as a bank clerk in Abuja.
A close friend from secondary school was opening a small phone accessories shop and asked me to invest. He was very convincing and showed me a plan on his laptop. When I told Tunde, he said, quite calmly, 'Help him if you like, but put it on paper, and only give what you can afford to lose.'
I ignored him for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I felt that asking a childhood friend to sign a contract would be insulting, as if I didn't trust him. Secondly, if I'm honest, I thought my brother was being overly cautious, because he's always been the careful one in our family.
What happened was pretty painful. The shop did okay for about eight months, then sales dropped and my friend quietly closed it. When I asked about my money, he said it had all gone on rent and stock, and because there was nothing written down, there was no clear record of what I'd put in or what I was owed. I got back only a small amount. The money hurt, but losing the friendship hurt more, since we hardly speak now. I regret it because a simple agreement wouldn't have meant distrust; it would have protected both of us. Now I always put things in writing, even with family.