One day, the Managing Director (MD) of Stardom Schools decided to take a walk instead of resting in her private office, as she normally did. She walked to a piece of land near the school that Stardom had bought about two years earlier. To her surprise, she discovered that many teachers and staff were using the land as their own car park.

The MD was shocked by the number of big cars and buses parked there. She began to wonder: How could teachers and staff afford such expensive cars? Were they stealing from the school?

She quickly called the principal, Mr. Bepo, and the accountant to explain. The principal calmed her down, assuring her that the school’s money was safe. He explained that the staff were able to buy their cars through loans from the school’s cooperative society.

But the MD was still worried. She asked angrily: “How much is in the account of the Stardom Cooperative Society that it could buy every fool the car of his or her choice?” Her harsh words surprised both Bepo and the accountant.

The next day, the MD called a meeting with the board of directors. At the meeting, it was revealed that the cooperative had about ₦95 million saved, and more than ₦50 million already loaned out to staff. The MD feared that the staff might one day use the money to start their own school and compete with Stardom. She compared it to “hanging a snake in the roof and going to bed”, meaning it was dangerous to ignore such a risk.