American
media, Cable News Network has reported the viral fever of MMM that has
enveloped Nigerian participants since its indication of operational
hitches.
In spite of the government's warnings against it, many Nigerians
continue to invest in Mavrodi Mondial Movement (MMM), a Russian company
that was responsible for one of the world's largest Ponzi schemes of all
time.
On 13 December, the company said it was 'freezing' all confirmed
accounts. While many that are opposed to the scheme believe the
suspension may be an indication of an imminent collapse, MMM Nigeria
assured its members it was only freezing the system for a period of one
month.
"The reason for this measure is evident. We need to prevent
problems during the New Year season, and then, when everything calms
down, this measure will be canceled," the administrator said in a message sent to all members.
In spite of the indication that things may not be in order with
MMM, Ifeanyi Okoro and some other members remain confident in the
scheme.
Confidence remains
"Even with this minor setback, I still strongly have confidence
in MMM. The government and the press will amplify this but we all know
that MMM is not going anywhere," Okoro said.
Joe Sanya revealed that he had already invested NGN1 million in the
scheme. While expressing confidence in MMM, he warned that the only
thing that could harm the system is the fear the news would instill fear
in MMM's prospective members and confirmed account holders.
"The abrupt action of MMM has brought lot of fears and panic
already which could even in itself crash the system. Guiders will have
to come up with a plan to put the mind of Nigerians at ease. I don't
know how they will do that but it has to be done. We need a constructive
counter move from MMM against the enormous negativity going on via
social media right now or else my one million naira and those of my
friends will be gone."
Michael Mbah, an MMM Nigeria top guider, added: "This is a
temporary measure to save the system and saving the system is saving our
money. Our money is safe. By January, the system will be back and it
will be stronger."
How did MMM successfully convince many Nigerians to look away from
the facts, warnings and experiences elsewhere? The key is understanding
how MMM works.
'Like a charity'
A member is required to make payments directly into the bank
account of another member. When this is successfully done, the payer is
qualified to receive three times what he or she paid from someone else.
The scheme was launched in November 2015 in Nigeria but it got
popular in 2016 and its philosophy is to financially empower its members
who are committed to helping one another. New members are often
recruited into the scheme by the promise of 30% monthly return on their
investment and higher returns when they offer to assist members that ask
for financial assistance.
When Chibuzor Chukwuemeka, a young Nigerian professional first
heard of the scheme from a friend, he said he thought it was a scam. But
since he joined about four months ago, he has had no regrets.
Source: CNN
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