I have carried this weight on my chest for a very long time, and today, I want to let it out. I used to work as a banker in one of the biggest banks in Nigeria. On the outside, I was that hardworking young man in a suit, managing people’s funds and acting trustworthy. But behind the scenes, I was living a lie. What I did back then is something I am not proud of, but I feel I need to confess, not just to ease my conscience, but also so that people can learn from it. I used what is called the Salami Slicing Technique. It sounds technical, but it is very simple. I discovered that most people do not pay attention to the last three digits of their salary. For example, if your salary was 145,350 Naira, I would just deduct 100 Naira so that you would receive 145,250 Naira. To you, it may look like nothing, just a rounding error or something you wouldn’t even notice. But here is the shocking part. I didn’t do this to one person. I did it to thousands of accounts. Every salary payment cycle, I would quietly slice off small amounts, 50 Naira here, 100 Naira there and divert the funds into another account I created. Alone, it looked insignificant, but when combined, it was running into millions. That is how I was able to build the foundation of the business I now run today. I resigned from the bank without ever being caught. I smiled, shook hands, and left like an honorable staff, but deep down, I knew what I had done. I will not lie, I enjoyed the wealth at first. I felt smart, like I had outsmarted both the system and the people. But as the years passed, I started feeling something different. Guilt. Every time I see hardworking Nigerians complaining about their salaries not being enough, or when someone shares that their pay doesn’t tally to the last naira, my heart feels sad. What if they were one of the people I used to steal from? I am not here to glorify what I did. I am here to ask for forgiveness. Maybe there are members of this community who once banked with my former institution and unknowingly fell victim to my actions. If you ever noticed unexplained deductions back then, I might have been the one behind it. Please forgive me. And I also want people to learn from this confession. To everyone reading this, please always check your salary, down to the last digit. Don’t dismiss those little 50 Naira or 100 Naira deductions as nothing. It might seem insignificant, but when multiplied across thousands of people, someone else is flexing with your hard-earned money. Ask questions. Demand explanations. Protect your finances. This is my truth. I have carried it for too long. Whether you choose to forgive me or not, I just needed to let it out. This is my confession. Please, forgive me.